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Long time e-ink hacker. This is cheerful news. I'm a paper-fiend and adore my reMarkable 2 as a paper replacement. But let's get down to brass tacks. Points to
by hackshack 5y ago
Long time e-ink hacker. This is cheerful news.
I'm a paper-fiend and adore my reMarkable 2 as a paper replacement. But let's get down to brass tacks.
Points to the PineNote vs. reMarkable 2:
1. PineNote has 128GB storage whereas RM2 has 8GB.
2. PineNote has frontlit eink display. RM2 has no illumination. (This is a big one.)
3. PineNote has speakers + mic. RM2 does not.
Points to the RM2 vs. PineNote:
1. reMarkable 2 is 4.7mm thin vs. PineNote "just over 7mm thick." I know it sounds like "spec wars," but this is a big deal, to me at least. My dream is an electronic index card, bendable and everything. 7mm is... smartphone and iPad territory. It's not bad, but it's not great. The promise of e-ink is that it is gloriously thin, like 65lb cardstock.
2. reMarkable 2 has the nice frosted tempered glass back. PineNote has plastic back with what looks like a... generous taper to squeeze the 7mm in.
3. Subjective, but the PineNote puts the pen at the top. I think the emergent universal style of magnetically docking the pen on the side is better. It's a little more friendly for left-handed users as they can always flip the pad and reorient it in software. With the pen at the top, now they have to reach for the bottom. If you rest the pad in your lap, now the pen becomes disconnected.
The reMarkable software is very good, albeit closed. I have struggled to build a decent e-ink focused desktop environment on my hacked Kindle. Pine will require a strong effort to build a first-class UX.
All said, as a hacker, I'd go for the PineNote in a heartbeat.
e-ink tablets are still somewhat future tech, so Joe and Jane Consumer would be better served by an iPad, or reMarkable 2 if they're feeling brave. The UX makes (and breaks) it.
I won't go into the iPad vs. eink discussion except to say I have an iPad Pro + Pencil for non-handwriting tasks. Writing on glass is fatiguing. I will check out the screen covers that give more paper tooth.
It would be great to see aggressive optimization on thinness in the next generation. Things can be open, and thin.
If you're new to the e-ink tablet scene, these price points are unbelievable compared with the state of the art 10-15 years ago. Don't think of them as iPads or Surfaces. It's different tech, not for everyone. But if you're a handwriter or have your nose in PDFs all day, it's a game-changer.