How can something something so remarkable be improved? Welcome the reMarkable 2

The original reMarkable tablet was just that, a pretty (sic) tablet that was Internet connected and had an e-ink 'paper like' display that used a stylus that almost felt like writing on paper too. There was some lag, but it was much better that trying to write on, say, an iPad.

The original slip on case buckled, but after writing to support, it was replaced without question.

The software on the tablet was updated on an infrequent basis, which improved usability and functionality.

Companion apps became available for mobile and desktop and documents and templates could be uploaded via the apps and would appear on the reMarkable. There's even live sync where updates made to a document on the reMarkable would appear instantaneously on the apps. The cloud storage is also free.

The reMarkable can read ePub and PDF files and PDFs can be annotated and then sent back to the cloud. This is actually incredibly useful as PDF forms can be filled in or documents signed with a real signature without printing and then scanning.

The last main feature to be added with script to text i.e. write on the reMarkable and press the convert icon and the hand written script is converted to text. It seems to cope with pretty atrocious handwriting too.

Now the new reMarkable 2 is out and it really is a major improvement over the first version. Immediately noticeable is the lack of lag and - well apart from the looks of the tablet itself. It's thinner (4.7mm), the buttons have gone and the bezel is thinner and it feels much sturdier too.

The tablet runs Codex which is Linux optimised to support low latency e-ink displays. It runs on an ARM dual core 1.2GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (enough for 100,000 handwritten pages).

There's a 3000mAh battery and USB charging via a USB-C port (charger isn't supplied).

The reMarkable 2 is 187 x 246 mm and the display is 10.3" (approx 26 cm) with a resolution of 1872 x 1404 at 226DPI.

There's also a Marker (passive so no charging required) supporting 4096 pressure levels, it's possible to upgrade to the Marker Plus which has an eraser.

Connectivity is via WiFi supporting 2.4 and 5 GHz. If connecting to a computer via USB-C, then there's actually a web server running and documents can be viewed by using a browser.

The reMarkable 2 is full of magnets, these allow the stylus to attach to the side (make sure it's in the correct position or it can fall off) and also to attach the tablet to the folio case which snaps on.

It fits very snugly and protects the tablet when closed.

 

It almost looks like a (thin A4) book with the stylus just protruding on the right hand side.

When using the tablet the case folds backwards so it can be used to rest on and is out of the way for accessing the display.

The initial screen shows any documents that are on the tablet, though folders are now supported. There are lots of templates supplied, though it's possible to use any PDF (or ePUB) and upload it, then copy it and annotate the copy. This way the original can be kept as a template.

Though it's likely that documents will be annotated for rework back on the source, reMarkable makes a very nice score sheet for something like softball, where the names and inning data can be annotated (though in the UK it would be nice if it was waterproof).

Though not available yet, it would be nice if the reMarkable supported (and linked into) web apps that could use the interface (i.e. the UIzard service that allows building wireframes from hand drawn mockups, if the reMarkable could be used as the mockup device it would be a game changer).

Closed it looks pretty neat and the stylus is held reasonably securely. A huge improvement over v1 and hopefully it will continue improving with regular software updates.

It's available on pre-order for £399, the marker is £49 or marker plus (eraser) £99, then basic folio case/sleeve £69 or the book folio in polymer weave £99 or premium black or brown leather £149. Ordering now should get you one in January '21 (as of Nov 2020)

Kobo Aura ONE eReader

Kobo have been making eReaders for a while, but have never quite got the market penetration (compared to their book selling rival).

The Aura ONE is a nice unit. It's bigger than the competition (the screen is a 7.8 inch Carta E.ink display with a resolution of 1872 x 1404 at 300ppi). It weighs 226g. So it's about the same size as a paperback book and weighs about the same (195.1 x 138.5 x 6.9 mm). It charges via microUSB and battery life is up to a month (varying by usage of course). The display is backlit and it has a light sensor which will adjust the colour of the front light to suit ambient surroundings (and time of day, so it will reduce the blue content at night - which can potentially affect sleeping technology called ComfortLight PRO).

Several standard book formats are supported, including the most popular ePUP, ePUP3, PDF and MOBI. It can also display several image formats and comic book formats (CBZ and CBR).

The main new feature however is the water resistance, it can survive getting wet (IPX8 i.e. an hour in up to 2 meters of water). If reading in the bath is your fancy, this is the reader for you (or even in the shower, though that's less practical). It's probably usable on a beach too, though salt-water tends to mess things up really badly if it does get into the electronics.

When plugged into a Mac/PC it appears as an external USB disk and books can just be dropped on to the device. Once unmounted (ejected) the books are 'processed' and put into the library ready for reading. Trying both a ePub and MOBI version of the same book (O'Reilly tech book), though the Kobo would read both, the MOBI version caused the Kobi to become very sluggish and reacting to page changes or going back 'home' took a while. The ePub version reacted quickly without problems. PDF's were sluggish too and caused various bits of the screen to flash as pages loaded and moved between bits of the screen.

If you have an account on the Kobo store, it's easy to download a book, just find the one you want, tap on it and it will download.

It's also possible to borrow books from your local library (assuming there's still any left in your area) using the Overdrive service. All you need is a library card and books can be requested. You'll be warned (3 days) when the book needs to be returned, then you can re-request it if you haven't finished it. The list of libraries is available here.

Assuming you stick to ePubs it's not a bad eReader and being waterproof is a nice feature. It's a shame MOBI/PDF aren't handled better.

The Kobo Aura ONE is available on-line for £189.99 which is a lot cheaper the Amazon's top of the range eReader, but a lot more expensive than their basic ones, though it's bigger and more book like. Oddly the Kobo site doesn't have availability at the moment.