What is an e-ink tablet? I’m familiar with eReaders that use e-ink, but a I’ve never heard of e-ink tablets. Then again, I used the Palm III PDA and Springboard PDA, which may have used e-ink.
I have way too many of these … But I’ve settled on these three:
- Supernote Nomad A5X2 with the Samurai pen. I use this everyday at the office to make notes, it’s a joy to write on and the size is great for me. I also use this to mark up copies of drafts of my novel that I compile to ePub and send to it.
- Boox Palma. As an on-the-go eReader. This thing is perfect for commuting and for when I’m on holiday.
- Kindle Scribe (gen1). eReader at home. I love using this in landscape with the two page view. I can’t write on this anymore after using the Supernote, it just doesn’t feel as good.
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@dque Much of the reason I read on the iPad comes down to habit. The Kindle lives at my bedside. The iPads live in the living room next to my end of the couch.
Also, the iPad display is nicer for reading, and if a book has photos, maps, diagrams or illustrations, those look better on the iPad. It’s much easier to take notes or highight on the Kindle (though I rarely do those things when reading books).
That said, maybe I should read on the Kindle more often.
@WayneG Does the Timex support notifications?
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That’s a great perspective; and I agree. Thanks
I mean general workflows and use cases - and I think you answered. Thanks
A Kindle Paperwhite is my only E-ink device. I like the weight and display for reading books, particularly if I’m outside or in bed. I have a Trmnl device on order to try it out.
Kindle Paperwhite for me. I preordered the Colorsoft but it arrived with the yellow defect. I sent it back and Amazon is gaslighting now. Supposedly fixed but people are still sending them back.
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Nope. Just the time and date.
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I’ve been looking at getting the Supernote Manta with that same pen! What does the Nomad feel like to write on? I tried the Remarkable when my wife had one and it always felt more like a pencil on paper which is a turn off for me.
It’s got a softer feel to it, like a pad of paper. There is a coating on the screen that makes it a little ‘sticky’ feeling for a few days but once that wears off it’s smooth. There is more give to it given it’s not a glass screen, but that’s a positive for me.
The Pen is just great, and the fact it’s ceramic and never needs to have the tips changed is awesome.
Fair enough. I prefer eink screens for reading though generally. Only when I have illustrations I miss colour or a „proper display“. Will probably end up getting myself a new ebook reader when the colour eink displays are finally good and do not look so washed and greyed out.
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+1 Kindle paperwhite for reading
+1 supernote Nomad for note-taking, planning & uninterrupted thinking
I had given up on an Ipad as falling between too many stools and even reverted to a Filofax…
The Nomad works for me
- Distraction free
- I draw / mindmap etc - without thinking about the interface, just the problem
- the templating works well and rapidly for me
- it feels like pen & paper
- I can store & refer to pdf manuals
The interface is still being improved, but I very much appreciate access to their planning, the direction of travel and that the software is upgraded and the hardware is designed to be upgradeable
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If I were given the Keys to the Kobo or Remarkable Kingdom this is what a perfect E-ink Product suite would look like to me.
Full integration with Libby AND Hoopla with public library apps for Ebooks and Audiobooks, maybe a podcast and music app.
Digital Notebook and White Board as well as keyboard support for a digital typewriter. Maybe a calendar app and a to-do list app as well.
RSS and Newsletter support
Stylus support across the board.
a Smartphoned Sized Reader, a traditional reader, and a “tablet sized” 11 inch reader.
Browsers, Email, Social Media and App Stores stay off.
All of them at some level have one of those features but a lot of drawbacks. The Onyx brands have too much android, the Kindles have RSS but no stylus support except for the Scribe and only the remarkable has a keyboard. The Kobo has Pocket but no RSS and no Keyboard. I think there is a real potential in the Eink space to create a focused operating system that could be something special.
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I do not use a dedicated e-ink tablet for writing.
My wife and I both use Kindle Paperwhite for reading. Mine has been trouble free. My wife’s with larger (4Gb???) storage has been troublesome, often needing rebooting and having charging issues. The Paperwhite’s size, clarity and backlighting are very convenient for novels and non-fiction without equations or diagrams. When I want to read a Kindle text book I do so with the app on my iPad, but that is impossible in sunlight.
I use Goodnotes 6 on my iPad with Apple Pencil for writing and quick sketches, usually for notes during meetings. I rarely use its advance features such as conversion to text or the purchaseable templates, but I do use the Math conversion from time to time. The ability to record sound in addition to notes is very useful, as is the ability to export notes as pdf. Goodnotes generally works well, but occasionally it creates a spiky mess of lines instead of my handwriting. The occasional requests to log in, which always occur when I need it urgently, are a pain. Before settling on Goodnotes I also tried Notability. Both meet my needs equally well but I selected Goodnotes by coin-toss.
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I align with your views about the Boox, particularly Android. Don’t need yet another operating system to manage.
I think I have resigned myself to an IPad mini or occasionally my kindle. Kindle is simple, and less distractions, However, even though I have the 2024 Paperwhite signature edition, it still feels slow and the e-ink is not as aesthetically appealing to me.
Because I live in Oz (the Australian one not the Wizard one), there is no library access on the kindle. But I can use Libby on my iPads.
That said, perhaps due to my eclectic reading and preference for classic literature etc, I find books available in my library’s eresources as limited. They seem to specialise in “pulp fiction” and “bodice rippers”. Nothing against the genre but not for me.
So sometimes an iPad, sometimes a paperwhite and paper books.
Spoilt for choice! 
I love tech, and have a bunch of iPads, a Remarkable, and a few Kindles (plus many ePubs and PDFs). However, perhaps given my age, I have a hard time reading electronically. I love books and usually print out papers from work that I have to read (scientific articles). I find annotations difficult and not as meaningful as using a highlighter on paper. As an aside, I use the Kindle in bed–it’s lightweight, well-lit, and sturdy enough to drop w/o worry. Psychologically, it’s also hard for me to read a book with 700 electronic “pages” vs 200 real pages–seems onerous. [bracing for Luddite flames].
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I plan on keeping my Kindle for pleasure reading and the Remarkable is going to replace my iPad for work purposes and as a digital typewriter. The iPad would have a much more relevant place if there was Watch Integration and I can cut out my iPhone. I felt like having a mac and an iPad and an iPhone was too duplicative and Matrix-y in terms of my mental health and screen time.
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Random thoughts. This was nearly a very expensive thread.
- With the threat of Tariffs next month (Canadian here), it is assumed many products will get more expensive next month
- SuperNote is very tempting, however lack of support for Readwise, Libby (Library books) and Obsidian kill it for me, It feels like the PalmPilot - relying on a desktop app to get data in/out
- Box Palma is also interesting
In the end I stopped myself: Do I really need a fourth device? How much use will it get? Is a device that isn’t integrated in Apple eco system all that useful.
Money saved for at least another year.
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I’ve loved reading everyone’s responses. I made a purchase sooner than I thought I would, I picked up a Remarkable Paper Pro from Best Buy last Thursday. I would have loved to given a Supernote device a try but ultimately I feel more comfortable buying from a known retailer. I’m kind of shocked how much I like the RPP given I didn’t love the RM2 when my wife had one.
- The writing experience feels amazing. It’s very satisfying to write on, I don’t miss my Leuchtermm notebook and Pilot V5 pens with it.
- I really like the larger screen and it helps negate the lower PPI. One use case I have is I like to do NYT crosswords and the RM2 was too small for that to be a good experience.
- I’m actually using it for work so far. I set up the PARA method for folders as well as a personal and work Bullet Journal. Friday, I turned it sideways and sketched out a quick database diagram to add to a Jira ticket. Documentation is always a struggle for me at work, and I think this will help a lot.
- The color is actually pretty useful. I outlined a talk I’m giving in two weeks and being able to highlight key points, write Python function names in a different color, or write notes to myself in red was a great experience.
As of today, I’m planning on selling the iPad Air M2 I’ve been using (it was my wife’s anyways and she no longer needed it). Between my MacBook Air, Kindle Paperwhite, RPP, and Nintendo Switch, I have all my bases covered and they’re all pretty intentional devices which is my main goal here.
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One thing I hope with the Switch 2 is that they get the suite of Streaming Apps. So I can use my Switch as my Entertainment Device and a Remarkable/Kindle as my reading and writing device.
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The Remarkable has appeal but its soooooo expensive for an electronic notepad…
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