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I owned lots of E-ink devices. I got a Boox Mira 13 inch screen and it works well on both Mac/Windows. On Windows I can even have some touchscreen interaction.

I owned lots of E-ink devices. I got a Boox Mira 13 inch screen and it works well on both Mac/Windows. On Windows I can even have some touchscreen interaction. But I have to warn you!!!! that your mouse is not going to work as it feels very different. So I use it only to read news, reply emails and messages. Coding, video, and gaming would be impossible! The same thing would 100% go to this new display. I have also got a Boox X 13 inch tablet. I was choosing between this and Boox Ultra C which is a coloured one. But then I decide the screen size is more important than the color, the the Boox X 13 inch is much lighter! It's fantastic to read HN news and PDF every day with it. I once ordered ReMarkable 2 but the experience was a disaster. The PDF is rendered as picture. I couldn't believe it! Basically unusable even if it's free to get one.

mdp2021 3y ago
> your mouse ... feels very different Latency. It will work anyway, practically, through the right system, if you want to get used to it. > ... I can even have some touchscreen interaction An all systems, if you use remote desktop technologies (e.g. VNC).
- chaosprint 3y ago
  windows seems to have some optimisation for touchscreen
myself248 3y ago
RM2 ex-pat club member here too! Beautiful design, bizarrely crippled user experience. They put a wifi+bt chip on the board, but didn't connect the bluetooth signals, so you couldn't use a bluetooth keyboard with it like any other tablet. And a zillion other frustrations. I sold it to a friend after making super sure he was okay with the limitations and wouldn't blame me for selling him a lemon.
- jseliger 3y ago
  I've written about this on HN before, but the RM2 people don't make the device show up as a standard USB device, which makes file manipulations hard. I think this is an effort to sell their "cloud" server stuff for a few dollars a month. That's not been the effect on me; instead, I barely use mine, and complain about it on the Internet.
  - reckless 3y ago
    True but what you can do is SSH to the device and install a custom launcher for apps that can read standard epubs, play chess, or expose the linux terminal on device. Not great for basic users but I've had significantly more use out of it with some advanced setup.
  - plagiarist 3y ago
    I always check for cloud server bullshit before a purchase. I lost all interest when proprietary cloud appeared to be the only thing set up for syncing.
  - keerthiko 3y ago
    To make this simpler I made Regittable[0] for personal use. As only an occasional RM2 user (a weekend a month), I activate the python script on my desktop, pack my RM2 and go to a cafe, and when I'm back my files are all in Dropbox or in the project git repo, depending on if they're new or old respectively. I had plans to add more features to Regittable (like have it submit PRs instead of committing as you) but never needed them myself so didn't bother.
    - A4ET8a8uTh0 3y ago
      I will add as a user who dealt with it I will add that there is a ( paid ) solution that works well for my RM2[1]. It can be done on your own, but the amount of work made it worth the money Davis is asking. After that.. all of a sudden I started using it a lot more. http://www.davisr.me/projects/rcu/ http://www.davisr.me/projects/rcu/
  - efitz 3y ago
    Attention all device manufacturers: I don’t want your f-ing cloud. When I buy a physical thing, having to keep paying you every month is a dealbreaker. I don’t care that you want a constant subscription revenue stream, buying a piece of hardware is about me, not you.
23B1 3y ago
Have been thinking about one of these for writing. Is it something you recommend for that express purpose? Note: I can't just use an e-ink screen w/keyboard and a simple text editor, I used a handful of specialized writing programs like Scrivener and FinalDraft and often collaborate in Gdocs, so I need something that mirrors the screen of a personal computer unfortunately. My goal is to be able to spend more time outdoors writing in the sun, which I can't do without a clunky laptop hood or other hacky solution...
- mdp2021 3y ago
  You can, but satisfactory text editors on Android can be hard to find. No issue with a large enough EPD tablet, a BT keyboard, a good text editor, good configuration and your ability to adapt to the system (latency etc.)
  - 23B1 3y ago
    Thanks – I probably should have been clearer: I work in a variety of programs (FinalDraft, Highland 2, Gdocs, Scrivener, Notion) so I need to emulate what I see on my regular screen (OSX). My goal with the e-ink display is to be able to do more writing outside.
    - mdp2021 3y ago
      Then you could use Remote Desktop connection from your original laptop to a good EPD tablet, presumably Android based (to install the needed software on it). Or, of course, a monitor like that of the submission. But the biggest colour EPD tablet I see after a brief search is only 10.3'' big, see nearby https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=mdp2021 https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=mdp2021 You will also have to be prepared to the different technology: latency, for example, will be implied; ghosting; good lighting dependence...
      - 23B1 3y ago
        Thanks a ton for the advice!
layer8 3y ago
The grayscale displays also have higher contrast (still low overall) compared to the color displays.
m463 3y ago
I have a remarkable 2 and use it to read PDF and e-books. e-pub was slow, so I use PDF. It doesn't have to phone home or use the cloud, which is sort of refreshing. I have never hooked it into any network or even bothered updating the software. I use USB which becomes a network interface, then connect to http://10.11.99.1/ http://10.11.99.1/ and drag/drop files. This is all local. No built-in lighting, but it works great with a reading lamp or in sunlight. It replaces a book in my lap and is just for reading books. Sometimes I use it while exercising on treadmill, and with the big screen and large type it works great. only nit, is sometimes swipe when turning pages is ignored and I have to do it a couple of times. (Maybe it is sleeping and needs to be woken?)
- overnight5349 3y ago
  I would suggest either updating the software or installing KoReader. The most recent official firmware has a much nicer UI, but is incompatible with homebrew at the moment. KoReader is much, much nicer to use, as it's designed specifically for e-readers. It has no annotation or pen support, but the reading features are so much better than the stock software. I typically have it set to dual-column in landscape mode, I find it more comfortable to read with the gigantic screen. Plus KoReader works with Calibre to manage your library over the network. It's really quite pleasant once you get it working
- LoganDark 3y ago
  > remarkable 2 Fun fact, you can hook this up to your computer and use it as a drawing tablet, maybe I should open-source my plugin for this :) > only nit, is sometimes swipe when turning pages is ignored and I have to do it a couple of times. (Maybe it is sleeping and needs to be woken?) It's an issue with how you do the gesture, I have the most luck doing it around 60% down the screen, from one edge to the other, and waiting for the screen to finish refreshing before doing anything else.
  - hahn-kev 3y ago
    Your comment about the gesture made me laugh. It reminded me of when Jobs said that people were holding the iPhone incorrectly for antenna gate
michaelmior 3y ago
I have the original reMarkable device and I love it. My father has the rM2 and also enjoys it, but I haven't felt the need to upgrade. I'd happy take a free one though :)
lights0123 3y ago
If you're willing to hack around with a reMarkable, koreader or plato have far better reading support if you don't need annotation.
SonnyTark 3y ago
I have the boox nova 3 color that I bought on impulse and immediately thought I should return but ended up liking it and a big part of that was how good the PDF reader was and the fact its stylus is not powered yet works perfectly. The color feels more or less like a gimmick, I think I'd have liked the same device with no color e-ink just fine.

mdp2021 3y ago

> your mouse ... feels very different Latency. It will work anyway, practically, through the right system, if you want to get used to it. > ... I can even have some touchscreen interaction An all systems, if you use remote desktop technologies (e.g. VNC).

chaosprint 3y ago
windows seems to have some optimisation for touchscreen

myself248 3y ago

RM2 ex-pat club member here too! Beautiful design, bizarrely crippled user experience. They put a wifi+bt chip on the board, but didn't connect the bluetooth signals, so you couldn't use a bluetooth keyboard with it like any other tablet. And a zillion other frustrations. I sold it to a friend after making super sure he was okay with the limitations and wouldn't blame me for selling him a lemon.

jseliger 3y ago
I've written about this on HN before, but the RM2 people don't make the device show up as a standard USB device, which makes file manipulations hard. I think this is an effort to sell their "cloud" server stuff for a few dollars a month. That's not been the effect on me; instead, I barely use mine, and complain about it on the Internet.
- reckless 3y ago
  True but what you can do is SSH to the device and install a custom launcher for apps that can read standard epubs, play chess, or expose the linux terminal on device. Not great for basic users but I've had significantly more use out of it with some advanced setup.
- plagiarist 3y ago
  I always check for cloud server bullshit before a purchase. I lost all interest when proprietary cloud appeared to be the only thing set up for syncing.
- keerthiko 3y ago
  To make this simpler I made Regittable[0] for personal use. As only an occasional RM2 user (a weekend a month), I activate the python script on my desktop, pack my RM2 and go to a cafe, and when I'm back my files are all in Dropbox or in the project git repo, depending on if they're new or old respectively. I had plans to add more features to Regittable (like have it submit PRs instead of committing as you) but never needed them myself so didn't bother.
  - A4ET8a8uTh0 3y ago
    I will add as a user who dealt with it I will add that there is a ( paid ) solution that works well for my RM2[1]. It can be done on your own, but the amount of work made it worth the money Davis is asking. After that.. all of a sudden I started using it a lot more. http://www.davisr.me/projects/rcu/ http://www.davisr.me/projects/rcu/
- efitz 3y ago
  Attention all device manufacturers: I don’t want your f-ing cloud. When I buy a physical thing, having to keep paying you every month is a dealbreaker. I don’t care that you want a constant subscription revenue stream, buying a piece of hardware is about me, not you.

23B1 3y ago

Have been thinking about one of these for writing. Is it something you recommend for that express purpose? Note: I can't just use an e-ink screen w/keyboard and a simple text editor, I used a handful of specialized writing programs like Scrivener and FinalDraft and often collaborate in Gdocs, so I need something that mirrors the screen of a personal computer unfortunately. My goal is to be able to spend more time outdoors writing in the sun, which I can't do without a clunky laptop hood or other hacky solution...

mdp2021 3y ago
You can, but satisfactory text editors on Android can be hard to find. No issue with a large enough EPD tablet, a BT keyboard, a good text editor, good configuration and your ability to adapt to the system (latency etc.)
- 23B1 3y ago
  Thanks – I probably should have been clearer: I work in a variety of programs (FinalDraft, Highland 2, Gdocs, Scrivener, Notion) so I need to emulate what I see on my regular screen (OSX). My goal with the e-ink display is to be able to do more writing outside.
  - mdp2021 3y ago
    Then you could use Remote Desktop connection from your original laptop to a good EPD tablet, presumably Android based (to install the needed software on it). Or, of course, a monitor like that of the submission. But the biggest colour EPD tablet I see after a brief search is only 10.3'' big, see nearby https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=mdp2021 https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=mdp2021 You will also have to be prepared to the different technology: latency, for example, will be implied; ghosting; good lighting dependence...
    - 23B1 3y ago
      Thanks a ton for the advice!

layer8 3y ago

The grayscale displays also have higher contrast (still low overall) compared to the color displays.

m463 3y ago

I have a remarkable 2 and use it to read PDF and e-books. e-pub was slow, so I use PDF. It doesn't have to phone home or use the cloud, which is sort of refreshing. I have never hooked it into any network or even bothered updating the software. I use USB which becomes a network interface, then connect to http://10.11.99.1/ http://10.11.99.1/ and drag/drop files. This is all local. No built-in lighting, but it works great with a reading lamp or in sunlight. It replaces a book in my lap and is just for reading books. Sometimes I use it while exercising on treadmill, and with the big screen and large type it works great. only nit, is sometimes swipe when turning pages is ignored and I have to do it a couple of times. (Maybe it is sleeping and needs to be woken?)

overnight5349 3y ago
I would suggest either updating the software or installing KoReader. The most recent official firmware has a much nicer UI, but is incompatible with homebrew at the moment. KoReader is much, much nicer to use, as it's designed specifically for e-readers. It has no annotation or pen support, but the reading features are so much better than the stock software. I typically have it set to dual-column in landscape mode, I find it more comfortable to read with the gigantic screen. Plus KoReader works with Calibre to manage your library over the network. It's really quite pleasant once you get it working
LoganDark 3y ago
> remarkable 2 Fun fact, you can hook this up to your computer and use it as a drawing tablet, maybe I should open-source my plugin for this :) > only nit, is sometimes swipe when turning pages is ignored and I have to do it a couple of times. (Maybe it is sleeping and needs to be woken?) It's an issue with how you do the gesture, I have the most luck doing it around 60% down the screen, from one edge to the other, and waiting for the screen to finish refreshing before doing anything else.
- hahn-kev 3y ago
  Your comment about the gesture made me laugh. It reminded me of when Jobs said that people were holding the iPhone incorrectly for antenna gate

michaelmior 3y ago

I have the original reMarkable device and I love it. My father has the rM2 and also enjoys it, but I haven't felt the need to upgrade. I'd happy take a free one though :)

lights0123 3y ago

If you're willing to hack around with a reMarkable, koreader or plato have far better reading support if you don't need annotation.

SonnyTark 3y ago

I have the boox nova 3 color that I bought on impulse and immediately thought I should return but ended up liking it and a big part of that was how good the PDF reader was and the fact its stylus is not powered yet works perfectly. The color feels more or less like a gimmick, I think I'd have liked the same device with no color e-ink just fine.