I’m going off topic to talk about writing mediums.
I grew up writing in notebooks before I flipped to the computer. I used notebooks in high school and college and I’ve always found them appealing and a great tool to write from. Recently, I started wondering if there was an actual digital tablet which could be used for writing. After some extensive digging and searching I did find a couple of options, though really only two which might fit the bill. There are drawing tablets, but they’re more geared towards kids and even some of the pricier ones don’t give you all of the functions of a true notebook.
However, I did find two: Sony Digital Paper and the Remarkable. Sony Digital Paper has some functions of an actual notebook, but it seems more geared toward grading existing documents–though you can do some writing with it. Still, it is a viable option depending on your specific needs.
The Remarkable, is a fully functioning tablet you can write in, draw in and transfer your files to your computer, or other devices. In addition, it has the ability to transfer text to type which is really handy and it actually does a pretty good job of capturing my writing and turning it into typed words on a page. And in case you didn’t figure it out from the headline, yes I bought one.
The downside to both models is the price, and now you’re asking why I would spend $4-$500 bucks for a digital tablet when I can drop down to the local Target and get a notebook for four bucks if that’s my thing. While I’m not completely sold on the new age of digital, I do like my gadgets and toys and a digital notebook is a cool idea. You still write with a pen (the Remarkable Pen charges while it’s being used so no batteries) and it really does feel like writing. And with the storage you can jot down lots of pages worth of notes or even story writing.
The Remarkable is lightweight, sturdy and charges from a USB. I bought a case for it (not from the Remarkable people though–I wanted something neoprene that felt like it was more protective since I blew a chunk of change on it :).
Again, they’re expensive, but I wanted to try one and so far I have not been disappointed. It’s great to take with me on trips, or even while waiting in a doctor’s office or any other situation involving waiting and I have a few minutes to kill.
While it’s not a “have to” purchase, I’m hoping more digital tablets will start popping up and these two will get more reasonable for the money strapped writers. In either case, check them both out:
Sony Digital Paper: https://www.sony.com/electronics/digital-paper-notepads/dpt-series
The Remarkable: https://remarkable.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhPXFlMmc5gIVAj0MCh3ZEgjxEAAYASAAEgJ2y_D_BwE
Craig