5 ms·

Frankly no, it doesn’t re-flow them so the text will often be too small. Quite a massive oversight and no one really talks about it.

by bm1362 5y ago

krastanov 5y ago
I am surprised anyone would want reflow in their PDFs (that is what epub is for). The PDFs I read would be completely ruined even by minor reflow (e.g. I work with two-column text with many inline figures and math). PDF inherently as a format is not meant to have reflow. With that context, I love reading PDFs on my remarkable 2. Zooming and panning also works pretty well (given the slow refresh rate of e-ink).
- ipsum2 5y ago
  Reflow is offered by Adobe: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2020/09/23/adobe-unveils-ambitious-multi-year-vision-for-pdf-introduces-liquid-mode.html https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2020/09/23/adobe-unveils-a... Unfortunately you have to send the file to their servers, which is probably a no-go for many.
- Shorel 5y ago
  The only reason I can think of, is people being unaware of ePub existence. I agree with you. If you want something that can be reflowed, get the ePub version. Or, if it's meant to be made from images, get the CBZ version.
anigbrowl 5y ago
That's a legitimate criticism, and one reason I've held off buying one. I wonder how long it would take to get a screen size of 13.5" (about the same as US letter paper size, which is what most pdfs are formatted for).
- Loughla 5y ago
  That is legitimately the one thing I wish was different about the RM2 - the screen is 1/3 or so smaller than a regular sheet of paper. If it were 1:1 with a sheet of paper, I would absolutely love this thing.
  - eloisant 5y ago
    There is the Sony Digital Paper DPTS1, but it's very expensive.
    - anigbrowl 5y ago
      I see it's been replaced by the Sony DPT-RP1, though that's still expensive. At least this is proof it's possible and creates hope for competitors to emerge.
      - cycomanic 5y ago
        I have both the Sony and the remarkable and the note taking experience is not comparable. Since I bought the RM2 I've essentially not touched the Sony, the RM2 is so much better. I'd also add that I use the RM2 for reading and annotating pdfs a lot and I had the same thought about size at the beginning. I am a bit more twisted now, I'd definitely like a larger screen when annotating pdfs (just reading is fine actually), but I also think I would leave the device at home much more if it were bigger. The RM2 is a perfect size for always having it with me.
- codethief 5y ago
  > I wonder how long it would take to get a screen size of 13.5" Probably quite long. I remember a discussion here on HN a while ago where it was said e-ink displays are expensive since there's no economy of scale and there are only a few manufacturers. Now for larger displays the demand is even lower, so prices tend to be even steeper.
noobly 5y ago
That is really too bad. Hopefully there's either a larger device or upgrade soon, I've been waiting a long time for something like the reMarkable to mature into a product that fits my needs.

Frankly no, it doesn’t re-flow them so the text will often be too small. Quite a massive oversight and no one really talks about it.

by bm1362 5y ago

Frankly no, it doesn’t re-flow them so the text will often be too small. Quite a massive oversight and no one really talks about it.

krastanov 5y ago

I am surprised anyone would want reflow in their PDFs (that is what epub is for). The PDFs I read would be completely ruined even by minor reflow (e.g. I work with two-column text with many inline figures and math). PDF inherently as a format is not meant to have reflow. With that context, I love reading PDFs on my remarkable 2. Zooming and panning also works pretty well (given the slow refresh rate of e-ink).

ipsum2 5y ago
Reflow is offered by Adobe: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2020/09/23/adobe-unveils-ambitious-multi-year-vision-for-pdf-introduces-liquid-mode.html https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2020/09/23/adobe-unveils-a... Unfortunately you have to send the file to their servers, which is probably a no-go for many.
Shorel 5y ago
The only reason I can think of, is people being unaware of ePub existence. I agree with you. If you want something that can be reflowed, get the ePub version. Or, if it's meant to be made from images, get the CBZ version.

anigbrowl 5y ago

That's a legitimate criticism, and one reason I've held off buying one. I wonder how long it would take to get a screen size of 13.5" (about the same as US letter paper size, which is what most pdfs are formatted for).

Loughla 5y ago
That is legitimately the one thing I wish was different about the RM2 - the screen is 1/3 or so smaller than a regular sheet of paper. If it were 1:1 with a sheet of paper, I would absolutely love this thing.
- eloisant 5y ago
  There is the Sony Digital Paper DPTS1, but it's very expensive.
  - anigbrowl 5y ago
    I see it's been replaced by the Sony DPT-RP1, though that's still expensive. At least this is proof it's possible and creates hope for competitors to emerge.
    - cycomanic 5y ago
      I have both the Sony and the remarkable and the note taking experience is not comparable. Since I bought the RM2 I've essentially not touched the Sony, the RM2 is so much better. I'd also add that I use the RM2 for reading and annotating pdfs a lot and I had the same thought about size at the beginning. I am a bit more twisted now, I'd definitely like a larger screen when annotating pdfs (just reading is fine actually), but I also think I would leave the device at home much more if it were bigger. The RM2 is a perfect size for always having it with me.
codethief 5y ago
> I wonder how long it would take to get a screen size of 13.5" Probably quite long. I remember a discussion here on HN a while ago where it was said e-ink displays are expensive since there's no economy of scale and there are only a few manufacturers. Now for larger displays the demand is even lower, so prices tend to be even steeper.

noobly 5y ago

That is really too bad. Hopefully there's either a larger device or upgrade soon, I've been waiting a long time for something like the reMarkable to mature into a product that fits my needs.