Mobile Technology

reMarkable "paper tablet" has sketches, notes and documents in its sights

reMarkable "paper tablet" has sketches, notes and documents in its sights
The reMarkable paper tablet, now available for pre-order, is like a high-end e-reader and drawing tablet rolled into one
The reMarkable paper tablet, now available for pre-order, is like a high-end e-reader and drawing tablet rolled into one
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The reMarkable paper tablet, now available for pre-order, is like a high-end e-reader and drawing tablet rolled into one
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The reMarkable paper tablet, now available for pre-order, is like a high-end e-reader and drawing tablet rolled into one
reMarkable in action as an e-reader
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reMarkable in action as an e-reader
reMarkable "paper tablet"
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reMarkable "paper tablet"
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Computers may be where the office grunt work gets done, but deep-thought work and conceptualization can still benefit from a bit of scribbling on paper, if for no other reason than avoiding the distractions of notifications, sidebars, open apps and a multitude of open browser tabs. The newly-announced reMarkable "paper tablet" is designed to replace your ancillary papers – notes, sketches and documents included – with one device that offers a convincing real-paper look and feel.

As a digital device, reMarkable has a few advantages over paper: It reduces waste and clutter, syncs with all your devices via the cloud, and documents can easily be re-organized and shared.

Of course, there are plenty of other devices already on the market being touted for their note-taking abilities, but reMarkable stands apart because it is intended to be both an e-reader and an e-writer. Most devices are largely one or the other, or something entirely different.

reMarkable "paper tablet"
reMarkable "paper tablet"

However, there are a few options that occupy the space for which reMarkable is striving. For example, Noteslate has similar devices available for pre-order, and Sony's Digital Paper (which is at least twice the price) is already on the market. Still, reMarkable is poised to have a few advantages over these direct competitors.

For one, its 10.3-in "Canvas" digital paper display is without glass parts. That should mitigate the two largest challenges that tablets face when trying to duplicate the tactility of pen and paper: display glare/brightness, and an overly slippery feel. reMarkable's capacitive touch display also has an industry-low 55 ms latency. According to the manufacturer, this means it populates the e-ink onscreen at a rate that matches the natural speed of writing with a pen better than competing devices in this category.

reMarkable in action as an e-reader
reMarkable in action as an e-reader

Combined with a battery-free stylus rocking 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity with a high-friction nib, the reMarkable tablet stands to be a better-developed and more realistic replacement for yellow pads, sketchbooks and portfolios. Since it supports PDF and EPUB formats (and more to be announced), it could even be an ideal study tool as well – read the material, and highlight/annotate it onscreen as you go.

reMarkable goes up for preorder today for the current discounted price of US$379 (it will later ring up for a hefty $716) and includes tablet, stylus, case and shipping. The devices start shipping mid 2017. You can see it in action in the promo video below.

Product page: reMarkable

reMarkable - The paper tablet (Pre-order campaign video 2016)

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9 comments
9 comments
oldguy
I spend a lot of time walking about in damp places making drawings and taking notes. This would be great if it was waterproof. Is It?
Milton
probably more water-proof than a piece of paper.
Derek Howe
Milton - Unless he uses stone paper, that's some nice stuff. As for this product, it looks really nice, but I'm not spending that much money on a fancy notebook. Maybe in a few years if they can cut the price in half (half of the discount price).
fen
Looks cool
Jacksdad
I don't want to carry around yet another stiff tablet, but I would snap up several of them if it were shirt-pocket size.
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is very useful if one wants to write things down and draw objects that might be more difficult to do using a computer.
I wonder if they could create an app that does something like that for a tablet computer?
neutrino23
Maybe OK for some very niche applications. It is much easier to use a mainstream product like the iPad Pro with the Pencil. Because these sell in the tens of millions there is a huge user base which inspires lots of developers. There are now vast numbers of apps for drawing on the iPad for all purposes ranging from art sketching to note taking to engineering drawings to conceptual sketching. And it works as an e-reader and many, many other applications.
AhmadZainyHussain
That is what I am looking for, but I prefer to use more colors in writing not just white and Black
c w
Yes, it is a niche product and, yes, you could do the same thing with plain tablets. Plain tablets don't do it nearly as well, however.
For very basic highlighting and selecting, a tablet might work, but fine detailing and writing requires something with a dedicated screen tech (WACOM). Further, something lighter is better. Tablets are multitasking devices that need several components on-board and a considerable battery, resulting in weight.
eInkers/ereaders aren't looking for another tablet to do searching on. What's needed is a lightweight device focused on inking/reading that only has enough radio functionality to get/send docs and notes.
They are companion devices. They are relatively small, but the market is relatively small - if we could get some of that engineering and manufacturing capacity dedicated to giving you a thinner/bigger/faster/prettier whateverPhone, maybe the price could come down.
My preference would be a similar device with just a BT/NFC radio and some kind of front lighting (although anything light begins to affect legibility).
The only remotely well-known version of this is the $800US model that is very proprietary, so the pricing is not out of line.
If Jim Bezos wanted to, he could easily corner this market. As it is the 9.7 inch Kindle DX that he stopped making YEARS ago will still sell for $200 on eBay used.
As it is, I just make do with a Surface Pro with a matte screen cover for critical reading and a Nook Simple Touch for pleasure reading.
But most folk will be happier with regular mobile device.