reMarkable powers up its e-paper tablet with a keyboard case for distraction-free writing

The reMarkable 2 is simply a awesome tablet for reference agelong documents on, annotating them, taking notes, sketching… but not for full-on writing. At least, it wasn’t until they put retired this awesome keyboard folio that converts this tablet into a beautiful compelling minimalist penning position — if you don’t mind a somewhat premium price.

The caller lawsuit is not dissimilar those disposable for nan Surface, iPad, moreover different e-paper devices for illustration nan Boox Tab X. It has a leather aliases leather analogue exterior (comes successful achromatic aliases beverage cocoa brown), past a benignant of three-layer creation wherever nan screen goes connected top, nan tablet is successful nan middle, and nan keyboard hides beneath until summoned.

If you’re acquainted pinch different keyboard folio type cases, this 1 won’t beryllium overmuch of a surprise, but I’ll opportunity it is very nicely done and good made. Wait, you say, you’re doing a full reappraisal conscionable of a cover? Well, it’s benignant of unsocial and nan reMarkable is simply a cool instrumentality and location isn’t a batch for illustration it retired there! I cognize I’m not nan only 1 looking for thing for illustration this. They sold a cardinal of these things, aft all.

Anyway, nan folio useful arsenic a regular screen if you conscionable want to return notes aliases publication successful image orientation. But erstwhile you flip disconnected nan cover, you tin laic it down and return clasp of a mates tabs connected either broadside and assistance nan surface free of nan keys underneath. It folds up and snaps into spot pinch a mates magnets and you’re bully to commencement typing.

Here’s really nan deployment process works:

There’s nary wi-fi aliases Bluetooth to link aliases configure; nan instrumentality and lawsuit features a small interaction interface that activates nan keyboard and powers it. Much simpler, but of people it intends you can’t person nan keyboard connected your table and nan tablet propped up somewhere.

There is fundamentally zero lag betwixt tapping a cardinal and nan missive appearing. It’s nan champion I’ve seen successful a non-LCD instrumentality and I applaud reMarkable’s activity here.

The keyboard is decidedly of nan compact assortment you thin to find arsenic companions for tablets; nan missive keys person a full-size layout (equal size and spacing to a normal one) but abstraction is saved by making nan number keys squat and nan modifier keys narrow.

This is mostly speaking fine, though I would for illustration a flimsy modification that makes nan long, weird backspace cardinal larger and does without caps fastener (who needs it?). There’s besides nary delete key, though shift-backspace does nan aforesaid thing.

The chiclet keys don’t person a batch of recreation aliases play but are comfortable enough; not arsenic bully arsenic a laptop, but amended than galore keyboard cases I person utilized and surely overmuch amended than immoderate on-screen keyboard retired there. (I haven’t tested a batch of these things, to beryllium honest, because mostly I don’t spot nan inferior — personally I usage tablets to consume, not create. I person a bully ergonomic mechanical keyboard for erstwhile I really request to constitute stuff.)

Minimal editing — possibly excessively minimal

An update pinch a caller text-focused interface will vessel pinch nan keyboard, and while you tin usage it pinch nan on-screen 1 (which is serviceable), nan beingness keyboard is evidently a overmuch amended option.

By hitting nan matter T successful nan near manus dropdown menu, a file for matter appears down nan mediate — aliases rather, doesn’t appear. It’s there, but has almost nary markings to bespeak it. In keeping pinch reMarkable’s minimal aesthetic, location is thing but a small spot marker indicating wherever your matter will appear.

The thought is to fto you attraction connected nan text, providing a fewer elemental formatting options. Slightly excessively few, successful fact.

In rule nan editor works, and I for illustration that it’s very overmuch for illustration a typewriter filling a blank page, not a connection processor. And nan expertise to drawback your stylus and jot a statement present aliases location — “more connected this,” aliases conscionable an arrow connecting 2 paragraphs — is excellent. Handwriting and sketches are attached to nan matter they were written adjacent to, truthful you erstwhile you scroll up and down they spell pinch it. On nan different hand, you can’t create a matter section adjacent to existing drawings, arsenic acold arsenic I could show — it starts a caller paragraph below.

But while nan simplicity is admirable and I was capable to draught retired a station rather easily, I instantly wanted respective things that weren’t available.

For 1 thing, nan matter is simply a spot excessively mini and readability suffers, particularly pinch nan deficiency of a backlight. From 2 feet away, it looks a small lightweight, and so erstwhile you get adjacent nan rendering is speckled — a consequence of nan accelerated refresh time.

It didn’t fuss maine that much, but if location were a mates different sizes I would person bumped it up 1 conscionable for added clarity. Bold and italic mightiness beryllium nice, though I tin do without them successful a pinch.

It would besides person been bully to beryllium capable to power nan layout and formatting connected a per-document level. The only action — and it is not a bad action — has nan matter successful nan mediate 2 quarters of nan screen, and sketch abstraction connected either side. Honestly these are fine, but I would person conscionable liked a wider and narrower option, possibly a justification and alignment setting, and nan expertise to put nan matter file location else.

I’m alert that nan constituent is minimalism, and present I americium asking for each these settings. But it’s not for illustration each this markup will beryllium cluttering up your surface — it’s a group it and hide it point since not everyone has nan aforesaid preferences and needs. There are tons of templates and options for handwritten and sketched notebooks, and I’d for illustration nan aforesaid for text-based ones.

Editing via touchscreen is fine, but reMarkable should return immoderate UI tips from others (or users) successful this space. It was easy to prime a word, but not a sentence. Tapping successful nan matter area is responsive but successful nan sketch area does thing (like spell to nan extremity of nan nearest line). There are respective specified small missteps and missing pieces present that tin and astir apt will beryllium fixed successful an upcoming package update.

I asked astir immoderate of these things and reMarkable said “We person plans to adhd much features and to polish and amended connected nan acquisition complete nan coming months,” but didn’t stock a roadmap. I spot them to do it correct but it’s barebones correct now by design.

Integrated, benignant of

Another facet of reMarkable’s insistence connected a much aliases little contained and non-distracting situation is constricted integrations. I suppose we should beryllium thankful: astatine first location were nary astatine all! But now you tin sync files pinch Dropbox, Google Drive, aliases OneDrive, though these are each secondary to its first-party Connect feature, which costs $3 per period (first year’s free, astatine least). This covers syncing of your docs betwixt nan desktop and mobile apps and nan tablet itself — though you tin only person 1 progressive tablet astatine a time, thing I wish they would change.

Syncing useful good for nan astir part, occasionally a spot laggy (like immoderate unreality service) erstwhile dealing pinch aggregate documents but mostly speaking you tin count connected it to person nan latest type of something, pinch your additions and sketches each up to date.

It’s clear that reMarkable wants to support you successful their ecosystem, however, and location is nary opportunity to sync pinch services for illustration Simplenote, Evernote, Bear, things for illustration that. I get that immoderate of these tin beryllium catch-all platforms that don’t really mesh pinch nan reMarkable mission, but honestly if I could put Simplenote connected it I would usage nan reMarkable 10 times more.

As it is I tin still find a spot for it successful my workflow, peculiarly successful penning longer pieces that don’t fresh good pinch my different penning platforms: a agelong communicative successful progress, an ongoing outline for a book, that benignant of thing.

At $200, nan folio lawsuit is two-thirds nan value of nan $300 reMarkable (though nan second has really travel down complete nan years). It’s surely good made and nan keyboard is bully — and it decidedly multiplies nan purposes of nan device. And let’s look it: erstwhile it comes to penning connected an e-paper device, our options are limited. This is simply a bully one, moreover if it whitethorn beryllium excessively minimal for immoderate tastes and anyone doing long-form penning whitethorn opt for a “real” keyboard.

It’s getting adjacent to my dream of a integer typewriter, and astatine $500 each successful nan value is precocious but not crazy, considering what a “good” laptop costs these days. If, for illustration me, you request a discourse displacement successful bid to genuinely attraction connected reference aliases writing, it whitethorn beryllium $500 good spent.