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Comment by rtpg | Hacker News Reader

If you have an iPad already you can get screen covers that give your screen a paper feel. Elecom sells them

That is frequently enough, but for a lot of folks who are fans of Remarkable, the preference is based on one or more of these three:

(1) e-ink for both paper-like visual texture (the pixels are not square) and eye comfort (impossible with traditional screens)

(2) single-purpose note-taking without distractions (although some hate that)

(3) paperlike haptic feel (the only thing that can be addressed by screen cover on an ipad)

> single-purpose note-taking without distractions (although some hate that)

You can get very close to that by locking your iPad down and setting it in kiosk mode.

If you use Apple Configurator, you can even have it boot into a single app. See https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/apple-configurator-mac...

Good to know. Is there a single app that's suitable as both a notebook and reading/annotating pdfs? And would restricting the device to one app affect your ability to transfer files to the device over iTunes?

I find (1) to be the biggest snake oil of electrophoretic displays. The only case where it's remotely true is direct sunlight. In normal indoor lighting conditions they severely lack contrast/whiteness/blackness compared to a good screen or printed book, and are hugely dependent on proper lighting, for example your hand will give it shadow so you're practically forced to use the frontlight if your device has it (reMarkable doesn't), as it's almost impossible to light evenly and match the background otherwise. In other words, when reading indoors they have all downsides of paper with none of the upsides. It just doesn't work as "paper replacement", it's strictly inferior, and feels like a downgrade compared to modern active displays.

(3) is mostly matter of choice, and it's a feel of matte plastic, very far from actual paper.

(2) is the only reason I'm using it. It's thin (although not as thin as a piece of paper) and single-purpose, a physical product.

For what is worth, I am fully convinced that (1) (the paper-like visual feel) is completely true, not a snake-oil claim, even if it is just a perceptual placebo effect that is masking the ostensibly true nature you described. Placebo effects matter ;)

I guess I should also have added (4) this tablet is a lifestyle and fashion statement about having the disposable income to use it instead of an actual high-quality paper notebook.

Yeah I was just referring to (3).

I use iPad for some note taking (or rather, presentation planning). The responsiveness is good. I can’t deal with any lag in these devices so have never felt the need to try remarkable. Stuff like the surface work well when it’s the high end models but then you’re paying the same price as an iPad anyways!

E-ink is not "paper feel". It's a super low-power display, it only consumes power when the content on it changes. Since it works by moving around physical pigment molecules inside little cells, the screen will continue showing the last thing that you put on it literally forever while consuming no power.

I have an e-ink tablet, the Boox Note Air 3 C, when I use it as an ereader or notetaker the battery lasts for weeks. A little less when I use it for web browsing or apps that change the content on the screen a lot.

> E-ink is not "paper feel".

The paper-feel comes in large part from the physical part of the screen the pen touches not from the display itself.

The paper feel also refers to the viewing experience

Yes, that’s why I said, “in large part.”

The person I was replying to thought it had entirely to do with the viewing experience which I don’t believe to be true.

While E-ink is a large selling point of the Remarkable, I think parent is talking about another one of the selling points: That it feels like writing on paper with texture, rather than a glossy display (like iPad's display).

It has nothing to do with E-ink, but about how it feels to write on the Remarkable display with the pen.

I have both iPad Air with Paperlike cover and a Boox Note 3C... and the Boox with its color eInk and Wacom pen is SO MUCH nicer to write on and read that it's really not comparable.

Also paperlike film for iPad significantly degrades the screen, making it darker and grainy. It's still a better all-around device, but its really not as good as these eInk tablets for writing.

I concur. I switched from the very first remarkable to an ipad pro with paperlike but it's very different and much less paper-like. Also, the paperlike screen protector lost lost 100% of the roughness in just a few months, and now when I write it's basically the same as writing on the glass.

Paper texture is not the same as e-ink. The latter retains state when power is removed.

Uhm, like this one https://www.amazon.com/ELECOM-Pencil-Feel-Compatible-Scratch... ?

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