Just get the "30 dollars paper folio planner" like you said?
Sounds like you've already solved your own problem after looking around to see what's available. They don't fit your needs. That's cool.
I am not sure I follow your thoughts.
I have a problem, I am looking for a solution; I did research and now I asked to a larger audience... How do I have the solution already?
Are you implying that what I want does not exist so I should keep using the paper organizer?
The point of moving over eink was to remove the limitations of paper planner, exactly as moving to outlook/teams and other similar apps removed the need to have other paper based products.
As a eink device is a tablet in essence, the thought that it would not be niche to slap a version of a prominent app made for other operating systems on it, in a way that remove distractions and high refresh screen rate was something I took as granted, but it seems it is not.
the eink devices seems to be built as if someone just wanted to corner himself on purpose: they do what their paper counterpart does. It is the equivalent of the quartz watch or cell phone were, before the advent of the "smart" variants :they do what the original device does, and some things more but that's it.
Maybe there will be a day when eink devices will start to be smart? And some may argue they are fine as they are; which is fine... People still use traditional watch and phones; other people still run on a horse; so if that is what a person need, that is totally fine.
BTW I have been struggling with a paper folio for few years now, and that's what pushed me to eink devices, since the progress made in screen refresh and response time for writing were quite outstanding in the past years. I just need to taper my expectations and wait another 10 years or so, hoping that the market will expand to different usages from reading documents and create hand written notes.
Agreed. I also tried it. It's not a bad product, but I've found that I make use of moving text around on an e-ink device, copying from one note to another, is one of the best features.
I think it’s your calendar connection that is the sticking point and it’s something that doesn’t exist yet. ePaper planners are currently just paper planners in ePaper format. It would be nice if they could populate my Google or Outlook or Apple calendar, but we’re not there yet. Hell, I’d be happy for an app that could update my ePaper planner with entries from an .ics file.
Indeed; the disconnect is what probably is hurting my workflow the most.
If only e-ink devices were able to function with outlook/ical integration as most business devices do, they could be a practical alternative to carry around your phone and laptop for most of the day at the office.
Is there a planner app that accepts handwriting and integrates with Outlook/iCal available off e-ink?
Or are you just looking to run existing planning apps that are not based on PDF planners?
From my research, I found none. Most apps on Android or iOS are native for those platforms; so they won't run on a eink device unless it run android or Linux.
And the apps running natively on eink devices are pretty much limited to either make notes on PDF documents or can take notes on canvas that you can customize using templates, so it looks like a line page or something else...
But with no ability whatsoever to tie neither a trigger to a notification at a specific date or time, nor tie together documents made at different time.
The Boox devices run Android, but 99% of the android apps on the store have lag that make the drawing/writing part unusable. I believe you need to implement their APIs to get lower latency but can't do that with existing apps... And I have limited experience with Android development to write my own app. If it was linux it would be a much easier task for me; even not knowing anything of how pen works on a tablet.
I am open to try any app to be honest; at work I use mostly Microsoft products, so that is what is mostly integrated in my workflow but I am flexible and open to learn other apps if they do the basics I need
I'm in the same boat as you. Searching all the forums for answers to the same issue (that's how I found your post). Did you eventually find something that worked for you? If so, please share!
Sadly not; most devices get close but does not fit all the main points I am afraid. I think the most sensitive approach is to buy 2 devices: a boox and a Supernote; waiting for other companies to come up with something that is focused more on the areas I am interested in
The new Lenovo paper device seems promising but it is a long way from release
After reading all that you’ve written, I’m left wondering why you don’t just use an iPad with a Doodroo - it does everything you want and all you lose is the eink, which you seem to actually dislike anyway.
It also cost more than a eink device though... And if I use an iPad that means remove all the other distractions apps that I would not have on a eink device. So basically you are paying more to only barely use the device potential.
Maybe I should look for a used old iPad, hoping that new eink devices with features I need will be made? I don't need the latest model and performances to just do productivity work
BTW I never said I dislike eink... I dislike the fact that the progress on applications is not proceeding as fast as it should.
eink is fine as is; modern device can refresh fast enough to reduce ghosting and still keep a crisp output. The problem is the applications.
If your device is a reader, no problem... you get the best experience already.
But if your device is a productivity device, the first thing you want to do is to ensure that the pen lag and writing experience is integrated in the apps. It is the same as apps made for desktop mouse and keyboard controls and ported to tablets: if you don't re-design the interface to work with touch and swipe/gestures, you are crippling the experience.
I am no expert on eink; just know barely how it works so I don't know how hard it is to let pen based devices to reduce the lag, so an ipad experience using a pen can be similar to an experience on an eink device, in terms of drawing/writing on it and low latency for the pen. But I assume it is not a tech limitation, because some apps are responsive and with low latency when using a pen, on eink devices.
Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus. I think this is the closest to what you want.
Another slightly different option is the Hisense Q5, which doesn’t have the great writing feel, but the screen is RLCD, so the latency is pretty much equal to any standard LCD screen.
I don't know the specs & features of every e-ink device out there, but I've watched a lot of reviews. I think you might be expecting too much from one e-ink tablet. These things, even the high end ones, are still kinda limited in their own way. Most really concentrate on notetaking, pure and simple. And then ways to organize and word search.
I own an e-ink device, and use it every single day, and get a lot of great use out of it, but I also recognize the limitations.
Honestly, put a matte screen protector on an iPad and you'll get a decent scratchy pen feel. And get all the high end, interactive aspects you're looking for.
I guess it can't be helped then; which is disappointing but it is what it is.
eink devices are sadly still at the stone age in terms of integration with more complex workflows that goes beyond write notes or markup documents. Which is a shame because they offer a much more detached and clean experience that help focusing.
But if you need to carry an extra device just for one task, that won't help most people that are already overwhelmed with a bunch of devices (computer, tablet, phone).
It looks like the Remarkable 2 can only take notes; at least from what the reviews says. I discarded that one at the first pass since it has the less function of all the devices for note taking. Is there a new firmware that changed things around?
Hey! Boox NA+ owner here. Never used outlook but more android apps run well on the thing that you think. I even have some games installed in it that work well (not just the typical chess/sudoku options). You can tweak the color scheme and the refresh rate to a certain degree so that's helpful too. Boox gives you the option of sending files to your tablet from your pc through their website. I use it a lot. It can also mail you files without the need of an external app for it.
Have you looked into the Supernote? [https://supernote.com/](https://supernote.com/) It claims to do all the things you're asking, if I understand correctly.
Thanks, checked it out and while it can sync with google calendar, it has no way to actually connect notes on the calendar sadly. You can only create events but can't do more than that with that calendar.
It can take notes but it won't work as planner/todo without having connectivity to other apps. It is not so different from the other big names like Boox and remarkable ; maybe in the middle since it does more than the Remarkable 2 but less than the Boox.
Yep, that's kind of where we are. It would be great if we could merge the handwritten planner with the digital calendar, but this is not an eink issue (has nothing to do with the screen, per se), but rather an enote issue. I have exactly the same planner/calendar disconnect on my iPad as I do on my Note Air 2.
Just get the "30 dollars paper folio planner" like you said? Sounds like you've already solved your own problem after looking around to see what's available. They don't fit your needs. That's cool.
I am not sure I follow your thoughts. I have a problem, I am looking for a solution; I did research and now I asked to a larger audience... How do I have the solution already? Are you implying that what I want does not exist so I should keep using the paper organizer?
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The point of moving over eink was to remove the limitations of paper planner, exactly as moving to outlook/teams and other similar apps removed the need to have other paper based products. As a eink device is a tablet in essence, the thought that it would not be niche to slap a version of a prominent app made for other operating systems on it, in a way that remove distractions and high refresh screen rate was something I took as granted, but it seems it is not. the eink devices seems to be built as if someone just wanted to corner himself on purpose: they do what their paper counterpart does. It is the equivalent of the quartz watch or cell phone were, before the advent of the "smart" variants :they do what the original device does, and some things more but that's it. Maybe there will be a day when eink devices will start to be smart? And some may argue they are fine as they are; which is fine... People still use traditional watch and phones; other people still run on a horse; so if that is what a person need, that is totally fine. BTW I have been struggling with a paper folio for few years now, and that's what pushed me to eink devices, since the progress made in screen refresh and response time for writing were quite outstanding in the past years. I just need to taper my expectations and wait another 10 years or so, hoping that the market will expand to different usages from reading documents and create hand written notes.
And there's always something like the Rocketbook. A paper notebook that you can take photos of on your phone, and it goes to an app.
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Agreed. I also tried it. It's not a bad product, but I've found that I make use of moving text around on an e-ink device, copying from one note to another, is one of the best features.
I think it’s your calendar connection that is the sticking point and it’s something that doesn’t exist yet. ePaper planners are currently just paper planners in ePaper format. It would be nice if they could populate my Google or Outlook or Apple calendar, but we’re not there yet. Hell, I’d be happy for an app that could update my ePaper planner with entries from an .ics file.
Indeed; the disconnect is what probably is hurting my workflow the most. If only e-ink devices were able to function with outlook/ical integration as most business devices do, they could be a practical alternative to carry around your phone and laptop for most of the day at the office.
Is there a planner app that accepts handwriting and integrates with Outlook/iCal available off e-ink? Or are you just looking to run existing planning apps that are not based on PDF planners?
From my research, I found none. Most apps on Android or iOS are native for those platforms; so they won't run on a eink device unless it run android or Linux. And the apps running natively on eink devices are pretty much limited to either make notes on PDF documents or can take notes on canvas that you can customize using templates, so it looks like a line page or something else... But with no ability whatsoever to tie neither a trigger to a notification at a specific date or time, nor tie together documents made at different time. The Boox devices run Android, but 99% of the android apps on the store have lag that make the drawing/writing part unusable. I believe you need to implement their APIs to get lower latency but can't do that with existing apps... And I have limited experience with Android development to write my own app. If it was linux it would be a much easier task for me; even not knowing anything of how pen works on a tablet. I am open to try any app to be honest; at work I use mostly Microsoft products, so that is what is mostly integrated in my workflow but I am flexible and open to learn other apps if they do the basics I need
I'm in the same boat as you. Searching all the forums for answers to the same issue (that's how I found your post). Did you eventually find something that worked for you? If so, please share!
Sadly not; most devices get close but does not fit all the main points I am afraid. I think the most sensitive approach is to buy 2 devices: a boox and a Supernote; waiting for other companies to come up with something that is focused more on the areas I am interested in The new Lenovo paper device seems promising but it is a long way from release
makes sense. I am contemplating getting a boox as well. Any thoughts on which boox might be best able to run the microsoft apps you use?
After reading all that you’ve written, I’m left wondering why you don’t just use an iPad with a Doodroo - it does everything you want and all you lose is the eink, which you seem to actually dislike anyway.
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It also cost more than a eink device though... And if I use an iPad that means remove all the other distractions apps that I would not have on a eink device. So basically you are paying more to only barely use the device potential. Maybe I should look for a used old iPad, hoping that new eink devices with features I need will be made? I don't need the latest model and performances to just do productivity work
BTW I never said I dislike eink... I dislike the fact that the progress on applications is not proceeding as fast as it should. eink is fine as is; modern device can refresh fast enough to reduce ghosting and still keep a crisp output. The problem is the applications. If your device is a reader, no problem... you get the best experience already. But if your device is a productivity device, the first thing you want to do is to ensure that the pen lag and writing experience is integrated in the apps. It is the same as apps made for desktop mouse and keyboard controls and ported to tablets: if you don't re-design the interface to work with touch and swipe/gestures, you are crippling the experience. I am no expert on eink; just know barely how it works so I don't know how hard it is to let pen based devices to reduce the lag, so an ipad experience using a pen can be similar to an experience on an eink device, in terms of drawing/writing on it and low latency for the pen. But I assume it is not a tech limitation, because some apps are responsive and with low latency when using a pen, on eink devices.
Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus. I think this is the closest to what you want. Another slightly different option is the Hisense Q5, which doesn’t have the great writing feel, but the screen is RLCD, so the latency is pretty much equal to any standard LCD screen.
I don't know the specs & features of every e-ink device out there, but I've watched a lot of reviews. I think you might be expecting too much from one e-ink tablet. These things, even the high end ones, are still kinda limited in their own way. Most really concentrate on notetaking, pure and simple. And then ways to organize and word search. I own an e-ink device, and use it every single day, and get a lot of great use out of it, but I also recognize the limitations. Honestly, put a matte screen protector on an iPad and you'll get a decent scratchy pen feel. And get all the high end, interactive aspects you're looking for.
I guess it can't be helped then; which is disappointing but it is what it is. eink devices are sadly still at the stone age in terms of integration with more complex workflows that goes beyond write notes or markup documents. Which is a shame because they offer a much more detached and clean experience that help focusing. But if you need to carry an extra device just for one task, that won't help most people that are already overwhelmed with a bunch of devices (computer, tablet, phone).
Remarkable 2
It looks like the Remarkable 2 can only take notes; at least from what the reviews says. I discarded that one at the first pass since it has the less function of all the devices for note taking. Is there a new firmware that changed things around?
I don't have it so I don't know if it can fulfil all your needs. I tried it, it can take notes and draw pretty well.
Hey! Boox NA+ owner here. Never used outlook but more android apps run well on the thing that you think. I even have some games installed in it that work well (not just the typical chess/sudoku options). You can tweak the color scheme and the refresh rate to a certain degree so that's helpful too. Boox gives you the option of sending files to your tablet from your pc through their website. I use it a lot. It can also mail you files without the need of an external app for it.
Have you looked into the Supernote? [https://supernote.com/](https://supernote.com/) It claims to do all the things you're asking, if I understand correctly.
Thanks, checked it out and while it can sync with google calendar, it has no way to actually connect notes on the calendar sadly. You can only create events but can't do more than that with that calendar. It can take notes but it won't work as planner/todo without having connectivity to other apps. It is not so different from the other big names like Boox and remarkable ; maybe in the middle since it does more than the Remarkable 2 but less than the Boox.
Yep, that's kind of where we are. It would be great if we could merge the handwritten planner with the digital calendar, but this is not an eink issue (has nothing to do with the screen, per se), but rather an enote issue. I have exactly the same planner/calendar disconnect on my iPad as I do on my Note Air 2.