Gift Season: A First Review of the Remarkable 2
Gift Season: A First Review of the Remarkable 2
Listeners, it’s gift season. And we love to talk about writer gifts on the podcast! So let’s take a look at the Remarkable 2 as a writer tool. It’s a brand new device, and Sarina is a fan.
What is it?
The Remarkable 2 is marketed as “the thinnest tablet ever made.” It has a large e-ink black and white screen, the size of a composition book. It can handle pdfs and epub files, and it’s meant for reading, writing, annotation and note-taking. Since it uses e-ink, the battery life is far longer than your phone, or an iPad. What’s more, the stylus does not need to charge at all.
Why do we like it?
Sarina uses her new Remarkable 2 almost exclusively for drafting new content. The contact between the stylus and the screen is very paper-like. Whereas writing on an iPad feels like a skating rink, the Remarkable 2 has the right texture to write easily.
How does the handwriting-to-text function work?
Documents are sorted into “notebooks” and “folders.” You should put each new writing session in its own notebook. When you’re done—either with one page or ten—you select “Convert to Text and Email.” A conversion page comes up, showing the text of the last page you wrote. You can “select all” pages at the top. And the whole document appears, converted. If you want, you can use the on-screen keypad to edit. But it’s much more efficient to handle edits on another device. With a few more taps, you email yourself that converted text. From the email, paste your work into your document in Scrivener, Dabble, Word, or wherever you wish.
How’s the accuracy?
It’s impressive! Remarkable 2 does a great job of figuring out what you were trying to write, whether you use cursive or printing.
What else do you use it for?
There’s a Chrome plugin that allows you to grab any article you’re reading on the web, and send it to your Remarkable. You can also use their website to wirelessly drop ebook and pdf files onto your device.
Are there drawbacks?
While the writing experience on Remarkable 2 is very slick, the responsiveness for other features is a little slow. Switching between one pen and another is slow. Switching to the eraser is slow. Turning pages is slow. It’s an e-ink device. They’re all like that. If you want a super slick computer brain, buy an iPad and a pencil. If you want a lovely, tactile writing experience that converts your handwriting to text, the Remarkable 2 will impress.
Sarina and KJ have news!
The Chicken Sisters is now live! Don’t worry you can still order it. Signed copies here, Bookshop.org here, Amazon here—and if you order from your local indie and fill out this form, I’ll mail you a signed bookplate.
Sarina's novel Bittersweet, the first in her USA Today bestselling series, is currently free at all vendors. Farmers make the Earth move. Amazon: https://geni.us/FreeBittersweet
Apple: http://geni.us/BsIbooks
Kobo: http://geni.us/bskreach
Google: http://geni.us/bsgreach
Book-gift shopping? Grab KJ’s 12 Days of Books to Give (and Get) list here for everything you need for your Austen-loving brother, your thriller-hound mom and the friend who craves a cozy escape.