Paul Korm wrote:

There seems to be noticeable latency and flickering in the Ars Technica reviewer's video.

None of that in the production version I am using.

Does anyone have an idea if the eInk technology can be upgraded or
improved by software, or only by hardware updates?

Most of the innovation seems to be on the hardware side. As far as I understand, this is what it is in terms of resolution, sensitivity, etc.; I doubt that it can be upgraded.

The software seems quite simple --"No tablet has fewer functionalities than reMarkable (you can quote us on that)". It recently received an update and I understand that more are to follow. https://blog.remarkable.com/first-software-update-from-remarkable-1277e17a59c

Pierre Paul Landry wrote:

There is currently such a great selection of thin and light Android, IOS
and Windows tablets, with beautiful IPS color displays, long battery
life, stylus, similar pricing, etc, that I fail to see any reasons to
choose a black and white e-ink device...

Indeed, if your eyes and brain are happy with the IPS offerings, you should not need to look elsewhere. Mine aren't.

kjxymzy wrote:

I've been tempted by secondary e-ink displays for phones that connect
via bluetooth. It is a good solution for me, as I'd prefer to read on an
eInk screen, but want to avoid interacting too much with it.

There's something similar for computers: http://www.dasung.com/english/

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

Indeed, if your eyes and brain are happy with the IPS offerings, you should not need to look elsewhere. Mine aren't.

Interesting. I guess I'm very lucky, as I can work all day (and sometimes part of the night) on IPS displays and not suffer from any eye strains, headaches or other brain fatigue.
For me, contrast and color are the two key display characteristics and IPS does it perfectly (I suppose OLED would too, but I never used one)

Pierre

xtabber wrote:

Following up on the comments here about the Remarkable, I found out that
Onyx, which has long made not-quite-there (IMHO) e-ink devices, has a
new version of their 13.3” Boox Max tablet that runs a full
version of Android 6.0 and sports a new capacitive screen, so that it
remains usable without its stylus.

This seems quite remarkable (pun not intended); I'd be very interested to hear about your experience with it. The problem I see is that Android and its applications rely too much on colour by default.

I'm using a similar computer display http://www.dasung.com/english/ which, like the Oaxis InkCase mentioned above, is clearly intended as a secondary display.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cosmicpie.spacetodolist

Circle of technology life. My first laptop was an IBM with a small black and white display and a massive 20 Mb hard drive. That's not a typo!

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

I'm using a similar computer display http://www.dasung.com/english/
which, like the Oaxis InkCase mentioned above, is clearly intended as a
secondary display.

Paul Korm wrote:

Circle of technology life. My first laptop was an IBM with a small
black and white display and a massive 20 Mb hard drive. That's not a
typo!

My first Toshiba was similar, except the display as I recall was blue and white. It ran WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3, cost around £2,000 and seemed miraculous - but aarrgh! it was heavy.

Oh yes, the joys of the Toshiba 1000 something-or-other! I remember writing an entire user guide with columns, sidebars and illustrations on one of those in WordPerfect 5.2. Those were the days!

xtabber wrote:

Pierre Paul Landry wrote:

>There is currently such a great selection of thin and light Android,
IOS
>and Windows tablets, with beautiful IPS color displays, long battery
>life, stylus, similar pricing, etc, that I fail to see any reasons to
>choose a black and white e-ink device...
>I guess until you've tried it, you don't see its usefulness, and I
>admit, I've never tried these devices.

E-ink provides an experience more like reading print on paper than from
a screen, and like print, is best suited for static page views and
bright lighting. It is also much easier on the eyes.

For most people, one tablet serves all needs. I spend a lot of time
reading and prefer separate devices for different situations. Mostly I
use a couple of Android tablets with high-res OLED screens, but I also
have a Kindle Paperwhite, and when it is a valid option, I use it to
reduce eye strain.

I've long been a consumer of various e-ink displays. The sole reason I want them is to read and/or work outside in bright sunlight. I live in California and if I can't do my work while sitting on the beach I might as well move back to Minnesota :)
E-ink is really terrific in bright sunlight. No LED comes even close. I cannot work on my laptop in direct sunlight. The iphone was readable in direct sunlight, but you still had to squint. E-ink is like a paperback. Direct sunlight is where it really shines [sorry :(].
Alas, whenever I buy one of these things I have dreams of spending my days drafting complex documents on the beach, or at least annotating PDFs on the deck of my boat. But none of them have ever been functional enough to realize that dream, for the following reasons:

1. The screen refresh is noticeably long and it always will be. From what I understand it is an inherent limitation of the technology. Flipping pages while reading a novel is fine but quickly scanning through a huge PDF is impossible and frustrating.
2. It turns out that when I view a PDF on any screen, I almost always adjust the zoom often. Generally the default display either shows the whole page so I can't read it or shows up at a huge magnification so I have to constantly scroll. When I finish a page, I find myself zooming out and then skipping forward to whatever I want to read next and then adjusting zoom again. I literally did not realize I do this until I started reading PDFs on an e-ink reader, where the slow refresh makes pinch-to-zoom a laughably horrible experience.
3. Refresh problems also make typing difficult. You need the immediate feedback of seeing the screen button pressed down or the letter icon pop up to know you have correctly pressed the soft key. Even this little animation is painfully slow on e-ink so typing is frustrating. You can type ahead and wait for the buffer to catch up, but then you are stuck with backtracking to fix mistakes.
4. No 4G on almost all of these.
5. On the Onyx, WiFi turns off after only 1 minute of idle time, presumably to save battery life, so you have to constantly turn it back on.

On the plus side, the Onyx that I have now runs full Android and most apps work really well. Of course with the refresh problem web browsing is not fun but I have the Kindle App, FoxIt PDF, Chrome, a Calendar app, etc.
Some of the above issues, especially #2, are a problem with my cheapness. I never really believe in these things so I buy whatever I can find off ebay. I have had a couple chinese off brands. I owned an early sony. Now I have an onyx, but it's only the 6". I am DYING to buy the remarkable despite the fact that I know I will just be disappointed. But as soon as people are selling them on ebay I'm sure I'll have one.

The 13.3 inch screen of the Onyx Boox Max2, with its 2200 x 1650 resolution, displays 8.5 x 11 inch documents at their actual size without the need to zoom or scroll. None of my tablets have 4G, but that is hardly a drawback as I can go online from anywhere using the WiFi hotspot on my Android phone. WiFi timeout on the Max2 can be set from 5 minutes to never.

PC Magazine has a pretty accurate review at: https://www.pcmag.com/review/359330/onyx-boox-max2

It is certainly quirky! The impressive looking user manual (provided as a pdf file), loosely translated from Chinese by a non-native English speaker, is opaque and often inaccurate. I haven’t been able to figure out how to get some features to work, or if they even work at all.

But for my intended purpose – reading letter-sized documents – it works extremely well. The pdf reader is excellent and makes it very easy to markup pdf documents with the pen. A Samsung S-pen and a Staedtler digital pencil also work. Both Kindle and Bookari (my preferred Android epub reader) work flawlessly and sync properly with the cloud, so I don’t need to side-load books. All in all, while I do wish it were less costly, I have no regrets about the purchase.

xtabber wrote:

The 13.3 inch screen of the Onyx Boox Max2, with its 2200 x 1650
resolution, displays 8.5 x 11 inch documents at their actual size
without the need to zoom or scroll. None of my tablets have 4G, but that
is hardly a drawback as I can go online from anywhere using the WiFi
hotspot on my Android phone. WiFi timeout on the Max2 can be set from 5
minutes to never.

PC Magazine has a pretty accurate review at:
https://www.pcmag.com/review/359330/onyx-boox-max2

It is certainly quirky! The impressive looking user manual (provided as
a pdf file), loosely translated from Chinese by a non-native English
speaker, is opaque and often inaccurate. I haven’t been able to
figure out how to get some features to work, or if they even work at
all.

But for my intended purpose – reading letter-sized documents
– it works extremely well. The pdf reader is excellent and makes
it very easy to markup pdf documents with the pen. A Samsung S-pen and a
Staedtler digital pencil also work. Both Kindle and Bookari (my
preferred Android epub reader) work flawlessly and sync properly with
the cloud, so I don’t need to side-load books. All in all, while I
do wish it were less costly, I have no regrets about the purchase.

Ughh. I think you just cost me $700. Sounds too good not to try.

This thread wandered away into other domains -- I'm curious how @Dr Andus is doing with his original request back on day one. If he's still watching the flow here.

Dr. Andus wrote

I’d like to invite comments and suggestions on how to design an analogue (pen, paper, notebooks etc.) or hybrid (combined with digital tools) system for personal organisation and time-management that is mobile (can be carried on the person).

https://www.youtube.com/results?q=iskn+vs+wacom+vs+bamboo

Paul Korm wrote:

This thread wandered away into other domains -- I'm curious how @Dr
Andus is doing with his original request back on day one. If he's
still watching the flow here.

Hi Paul,

thanks for your interest. BTW, I don't mind at all the meandering, I enjoyed finding out about all these interesting monochrome devices, and if I win the lottery, I will be getting one or two of them.

In fact just came across this today, which kind of fits some of the discussion: Light Phone 2

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/light-phone-2-smartphone-design#/

As for my original problem, I've made some progress, though the new system hasn't been fully tested yet because in the last couple of weeks I was working from my home office, so the mobile needs didn't kick in yet.

So in effect I have two variations of the system: one for the home office, another one when I'm on the go.

Let me first describe the principles, and then I give details of the two different implementations.

I have adopted a stricter time blocking regime (using an external device, rather than my Google Calendar), where I start the day by allocating work in hourly blocks, restricting the time for administrative chores (dealing with work emails), and making sure that high value activities such as research get enough time.

This made me more disciplined and more efficient, as now I must deal with email more quickly to make sure I get it done within the allocated time block. This removed a lot of stress, as there is a sense of relief when I get to switch off email and move onto the next activity, as it gives me peace of mind that I'm doing the right thing. It is some kind of a mental trick by which I delegate control to the schedule, and so it's the schedule that's telling me what to do, and as long as I follow its command, things will be alright. I do have to override it in situations of emergency, but that's fine, and is the exception.

The second principle was the "one thing at a time". So I try to stick with one task and project and not start another until it is completed or delegated to someone else.

Home office implementation:

1. I do the time blocking and task scheduling for the day in handwriting on my Boogie Board Sync device, which sits on a Fellowes Booklift Copy Holder next to my laptop and two monitors. I still mirror the blocks in Google Calendar, but it's the BB Sync page that's the base, GCal is just a digital copy, and archive, once I ticked off tasks by adding [x] in front of them. I also cross out the tasks on BB Sync, and occasionally add more time to a task, if I'd underestimated the timing. But I protect the high value added blocks. The key change is that I no longer use GCal for time blocking, as it was too easy to keep moving blocks as time moves and as I fail to accomplish them. I could in fact just use a piece of paper on a clipboard instead of BB Sync, but it's easier to prop up BB Sync on the Fellowes stand, and there is the benefit of keeping the digital record, should I want that.

2. I surprised myself by eventually adopting Gingko for the "one-thing-at-a-time" system, to work as a digital version of using a "one index card per major task" method. The trick was to only use just one column, which then turns into a list of index cards in descending order of urgency and importance. The benefit of using Gingko for this is that it is cross-platform, and so even on my iPod Touch I can see the top card in Safari if I need to. It is also easy to rearrange the cards with keyboard shortcuts, to zoom into a single card, and to filter by category (e.g. #research, #teaching etc.).

Mobile hybrid version (I haven't quite tested this yet):

1. Silvine Ruled Pocket Notebook 143x90mm for doing the time blocking and scheduling. It's small, it's cheap, it has a marker ribbon, an elasticated strap to help keep it closed or open, and a fold-out pocket on the inside back cover which can fit 5"x3" index cards.

2. Silvine ruled index cards 5"x3" (127x77mm) in assorted colour to replicate the Gingko index cards, if necessary. I happen to have exactly 5 categories, which can be represented by the 5 different colours (with white cards added separately).

The rest of my system hasn't changed, i.e. I still use WorkFlowy as inbox for new tasks, archiving completed tasks, and tracking delegated tasks, and I still use Google Sheets to record my daily productive times vs. breaks (you could call these Pomodoros, but I don't follow a strict timing for the Pomodoros, as I find that these change for me depending on the nature of the task, the day of the week, the location I'm in, and all kinds of other environmental factors that affect my energy and attention levels).

I also keep a daily journal that I write at the end of the day, and the Google Sheets list helps me remember what I had done. GSheets also allows me to track in real time whether my breaks are getting too long or whether I'm being productive enough (e.g. I can record how many words I've written per time period, or how many pages I've read). It also tells me when to stop for the day or continue, as it gives me the total productive hours of a day, which I can compare to my running average.

As I said, I still need to test the mobile system. But my productivity has improved markedly, I've managed to keep a clear email box and stay on top of things, and my prioritisation has improved. It became much clearer to me how much time I have realistically available, and so it's easier to decline offers now for new projects because I just know I wouldn't be able to get them done.

I am extremely grateful for all the help and advice I've received from this forum. I didn't have a chance to get back to everyone's post, but I have read and reflected on all of them, and I very much appreciate all the help, even the commiserations (thank you @Ken :) Needless to say that this is an absolutely amazing community and I am very fortunate to have come across it years ago.

P.S. Maybe this is obvious, but the digital side of my system is very much cloud-based, which I need, to be able to easily switch between the multiple devices and platforms I use, incl. Windows, Chrome OS, and iOS.

So the cloud-based elements are: Google Cal, Google Sheets, Google Drive, WorkFlowy, Gingko, and obviously email. I also use MindMup for very long-term planning, but I don't need to consult that on a daily basis.

Chrome is also key as the browser that syncs all my bookmarks, preferences, extensions etc. for a seamless experience, and opens the same set up pages in tabs automatically on all my computers.

There is some integration between some of these apps via Chrome extensions and/or with Google Drive.

Another advantage of using Gingko cards as index cards is the ability to paste in a URL to resources e.g. hosted on Google Drive.

So yes, I've bought into the Google ecosystem (and the idea of the cloud in general), and I'm quite happy with it.

chrome://sync-internals

The internal link I posted just above always gives the correct data for sync.

But you have to sign in here (not just into gmail website) to see sync data, at top right sign-in:
chrome://settings/

In left column: Last synced, shows latest sync:
chrome://sync-internals/

Chrome dashboard online has been giving wrong info to many for years, it is useless:
https://chrome.google.com/sync

But the device (internal) sync works.

In extensions, pressing UPDATE syncs all data immediately too. it functions as update extensions.
BUT it also syncs all data. However data is auto-synced very regularly anyway:

chrome://extensions/

If techie, make sure: Developer Mode at top right is on

Other useful internal URLs + shortcuts:

chrome://bookmarks
CTRL + SHIFT + O

chrome://history/
CTRL + H

chrome://downloads/
CTRL + J

Re-open last closed tab:
CTRL + SHIFT + T

List of other chrome internal sys URLs:
chrome://chrome-urls/

To auto-update your Chrome to latest version:
chrome://settings/help

https://www.youtube.com/results?q=elfinbook+2.0

https://ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=elfinbook&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15


https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.notebloc.app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officelens

Thank you for the updates, @Dr Andus. I've been noticing more blogger chatter about time blocking recently -- or perhaps I've been more sensitive to the topic. I like the simplicity and straight-forwardness of the system you designed for yourself. I'm not sure that I would want to work with a mobile / non-mobile bifurcated approach, though -- my Jibun-Techno diary is portable enough for most situations and I usually have a phone with me so I do quick-capture with that.

It's all about whatever practice relieves the pressure feeling of too much to do, not enough time. Your method of "write it down, plan it out" makes a lot of sense.

Paul Korm wrote:

There seems to be noticeable latency and flickering in the Ars Technica
reviewer's video.

Does anyone have an idea if the eInk technology can be upgraded or
improved by software, or only by hardware updates? It's an
interesting product -- though for me it's more of a cliff-jump CRIMP
than a prudent-exploration CRIMP.

Latency has been the issue that kept me from adopting handwriting more widely with a digital device (other than the Boogie Board Sync, which however has its own limitations).

But recently there have been more reports that this has been fixed now on the newest generation of Chromebooks that come with integrated styluses (only the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Pro and the Google Pixelbook so far), in conjunction with Android apps such as Squid, LectureNotes, and Painter. Here is some proof:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/82u9u6/4_months_of_using_the_pixelbook/

It sounds like Samsung is at the forefront of this. I haven't looked into how iPad Pro performs in this respect. One day I would like to be able to use handwriting on the same machine that I use for everything else. As for the Surface, my impression is that it's a bit clunky (at least from people who had switched to Chromebooks instead).

Dr Andus wrote:

It sounds like Samsung is at the forefront of this. I haven't looked into how iPad Pro performs in this respect. One day I would like to be able to use handwriting on the same machine that I use for everything else. As for the Surface, my impression is that it's a bit clunky (at least from people who had switched to Chromebooks instead).

Yes Samsung has had a number of decent devices supporting active pens (palm rejection, pressure sensitive, etc) I have a Note 8.0 LTE tablet and love it.
If your Chromebook can run Android apps, do try StylusLabs Write. It is the best app I know of for handwriting.
Demo here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWyxTKa2tZ0
App here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.styluslabs.write

There is also a Windows version, which can synch with Android (through Dropbox et al), so you have your info everywhere

Pierre

I found hand writing on digital devices and their conversion not worth the time in my experience. There are better ways.

washere wrote:

I found hand writing on digital devices and their conversion not worth
the time in my experience. There are better ways.

I like handwriting with the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro. That isn't to say that I think handwriting-to-text technology is adequately satisfactory yet. It isn't. But for the use of handwriting as a pure recording medium as handwriting, it's pretty good. It's not as perfect in actual use as pen or pencil and paper - it's hard to see how plastic and glass ever will be - but the latency and imprecision I've found in earlier digital systems isn't evident. And for me, the most advantageous aspect is that all my notes can be accessed swiftly in a single place.

Hugh wrote:

washere wrote:
I found hand writing on digital devices and their conversion not worth
>the time in my experience. There are better ways.

I like handwriting with the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro. That isn't to
say that I think handwriting-to-text technology is adequately
satisfactory yet. It isn't. But for the use of handwriting as a pure
recording medium as handwriting, it's pretty good. It's not as perfect
in actual use as pen or pencil and paper - it's hard to see how plastic
and glass ever will be - but the latency and imprecision I've found in
earlier digital systems isn't evident. And for me, the most advantageous
aspect is that all my notes can be accessed swiftly in a single place.

I know what you mean. I have numerous handwritten notes pics saved from many various devices to this day. I know about AI coding for OCR too. Maybe one day with the right device I might go back, but don't feel the need right now. Drawing diagrams is another thing though.