lifehacker.com Open in urlscan Pro
151.101.2.166  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

 * The A.V. Club
 * Deadspin
 * Gizmodo
 * Jalopnik
 * Jezebel
 * Kotaku
 * Lifehacker
 * The Root
 * The Takeout
 * 
 * The Onion
 * 
 * The Inventory

Do everything better

ShopSubscribe

HomeLatestFood & DrinkTechHealthMoneyHomeParentingWorkRelationshipsTravelLife in
General
Do everything better


 * Home
 * Latest
 * Food & Drink
 * Tech
 * Health
 * Money
 * Home
 * Parenting
 * Work
 * Relationships
 * Travel
 * Life in General

AboutLifehacker AdvisorLifehacker Store
Explore our other sites
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

AdvertisingPrivacyJobsTerms of Use
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

© 2022 G/O Media

HomeLatestFood & DrinkTechHealthMoneyHomeParentingWorkRelationshipsTravelLife in
General




Gear


WHICH EPAPER TABLET IS BEST FOR DIGITAL NOTES?


WHICH NOTE-TAKING EPAPER TABLETS ARE WORTH THE COST?

By
Jeff Somers

Today 12:30PM

Comments (3)
Alerts



Photo: chainarong06 (Shutterstock)


We may never be completely rid of paper—aside from its advantages, paper will
always have a “feel” that simply appeals to some folks—but we’re entering a
brave new world where digital documents live harmoniously with their printed
cousins. You already might keep e-books on your Kindle and print books on your
shelf, or documents in the cloud and hardcopies in a folder. The future isn’t
all about leaving things behind, it’s about having more choices.


Advertisement





WHY BUY AN EPAPER TABLET?

ePaper tablets allow you to take notes freehand, store them in the cloud, and do
all sorts of cool tricks that aren’t possible with traditional paper and pen.
The ability to take notes on a screen with infinite “pages” and share your ideas
instantly is great.





We’re still early days in the ePaper market, though, and things are changing
rapidly. Where there was once just one or two devices to choose from, now there
is a growing list of tablets that allow you to easily take digital notes, but
many of them are primarily e-readers, meaning that the note-taking is mostly an
afterthought. So, if your focus is taking notes and making digital documents by
hand, which ePaper tablet is the best?

RELATED STORIES

How to Create a Universal Streaming Watchlist With Plex
Update Chrome Immediately to Patch These Security Vulnerabilities
Your Pool Gate Isn't Safe Enough


THE BEST E-READER IS THE ONYX BOOX NOVA3 COLOR

BOOX has crashed into the ePaper market in a big way, and the Nova3 Color has
just about everything you could want in a note-taking tablet. In fact, it’s so
good that it’s actually hard to find—it’s sold out in a lot of places, so if
you’re thinking of buying an ePaper tablet, you might want to get your order in
sooner rather than later.


G/O Media may get a commission
20% Off
Fire TV Stick 4K

Streamin' USA
Allows you to use a bunch of streaming services in one place, grants access to
live TV thanks to things like YouTube TV, and can be controlled using your
voice.

Buy for $40 at Amazon



HOW MUCH DOES THE ONYX BOOX NOVA3 COLOR COST? 

As of last year it sold for about $400, but tablet prices in general have risen
due to supply chain issues and rising popularity, so expect that price to be
higher when they’re available again.

Advertisement





WHAT MAKES THE NOVA3 SO GREAT?

 * Color. Color e-ink is gorgeous and extremely useful. If you ever reached for
   a different color pen or pencil when taking notes or drafting documents,
   you’ll love the ability to bring color into your digital notes. The screen
   and color ink looks great, and it’s incredibly responsive, with no lag or
   glitching.
 * Android. The Nova3 is based on the Android operating system, which means you
   can load plenty of Android apps and use it as a standard tablet in addition
   to note-taking, without losing any features or note functionality. That makes
   it incredibly versatile.
 * Note features. The Nova3 has plenty of note-specific features that other
   tablets lack, including handwriting recognition, built-in microphone for
   speech-to-text, robust search and replace functionality, and inductive and
   capacitive touch—which means you can use your finger as well as the stylus.
 * It’s format agnostic. The Nova3 works with PDF files as you’d expect, but
   also MOBI and EPUB files and Word documents.

Advertisement




The Nova3 wins on versatility, but it does come at a cost. While the overall
package is best-in-class, there are downsides, like relatively small screen (at
just 7.8 inches), a less-than-great battery life (typically lasting about a
day), and its internal storage is paltry at just 3GB. But since most people will
be shoving their notes into the cloud anyway, that’s not as much of a downside
as it might seem.

BOOK also makes the Onyx Boox Note Air, currently available for about $500,
which offers most of the same features in a grayscale version—and a much larger
10.3-inch screen.

Advertisement





YOUR SECOND BEST OPTION IS THE REMARKABLE 2

If you’re not looking for the best overall ePaper tablet and instead want the
best dedicated note-taking experience, your choice is the reMarkable 2. The
first really useful ePaper notebook, the reMarkable doesn’t offer color or the
flexibility of Android apps. What it does offer is clean, distraction-free
note-taking on a large 10.3-inch screen. It also offers handwriting recognition
(but no microphone) and 8GB of storage (plus cloud options), though you can’t
use your finger on the screen as with the Nova3. Most importantly, the act of
marking up PDFs and EPUB documents (no MOBI compatibility here) is smooth as
glass, and the tablet comes with a ton of templates for your documents so you
can get started immediately.

Advertisement





HOW MUCH DOES THE REMARKABLE 2 COST?

It’s not cheap, currently anywhere from $500 to about $650, depending on the
features you choose. You get a lot less functionality for that price, but if
you’re hyper-focused on note-taking, the functionality is 100 percent on point.

Advertisement





YOUR CHEAPEST SOLID OPTION IS THE KOBO SAGE

Finally, if you’re looking for a note-taking option without the second mortgage,
consider the Kobo Sage. It’s an e-Reader, not a note-taking device, but it’s
compatible with the Kobo Stylus and offers a note-taking app that will get the
job done. Is it the best note-taking ePaper option? Nope. But for about $300
($260 for the tablet and $40 for the optional stylus), you get a perfectly
cromulent note-taking device that is also a nifty e-reader.

Advertisement




Of course, the real budget choice is a $2.99 notebook and an old pen, but if you
want to live in the future with the rest of us, an ePaper notebook is a
necessity. Just be sure you choose the right one.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
Get our best hacks, tips and tricks delivered straight to your inbox every day.
Enter your emailSign Me Up
By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

 


Advertisement







TechGear




Featured Videos
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Pause
Unmute

Current Time 0:03
/
Duration 2:22
Loaded: 29.56%


0:03
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently playing liveLIVE
Remaining Time -2:19
 
Playback Rate

1x
Chapters
 * Chapters

Descriptions
 * descriptions off, selected

Captions
 * captions off, selected

 * Quality
 * 240p
 * 480p
 * 720p
 * 1080p
 * Auto, selected

Audio Track
 * default, selected

Fullscreen

This is a modal window.


5 Films Best Viewed in Complete Ignorance
What's the Difference Between Frame Rate, Bitrate, and Video Resolution?
Wednesday 12:00PM
5 of the Most Intense Nic Cage Performances
Tuesday 2:00PM

You may also like
Jezebel
The ACLU Says It Wrote Amber Heard's Domestic Violence Op-Ed and Timed It to Her
Film Release

Yesterday 3:19PM
Jalopnik
Toyota Supra Gets A Six-Speed Manual, But Only With The Six-Cylinder Engine
(Updated)

Today 4:20PM
Gizmodo
A Fully Aligned Webb Space Telescope Sees a Field of Stars

Today 12:40PM


Recommended from G/O Media
11 burning questions before Ozark’s finale
4/27/2022, 5:00 AM

19 Food Network Stars’ Personal Websites, Ranked
4/27/2022, 4:00 PM

The 7 Deadly Sins of Dog Ownership
4/20/2022, 3:00 PM