Forum Posts Feed
Taking handwritten notes on digital devices
< Next Topic | Back to topic list | Previous Topic >
Pages: ‹ First < 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >
Posted by satis
May 27, 2018 at 04:37 PM
I expect that at least in part to boost developer enthusiasm at Apple’s WWDC in 7 days Apple is planning to announce new iPad Pros at the conference. Last year’s models offered improved 20ms touch latency as well as the doubling of the refresh rate to 120Hz, which made a small but noticeable improvement over the initial models, and writing is slightly faster than the best Surfacebook out there (currently the best non-Apple device in comparison).
The new iPad Pros are supposed to have faster processors (the 2017 ones were at least 25% faster than the previous models), and there are rumors of an updated Pencil as well, so I expect latency to be further reduced.
Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Oct 31, 2018 at 07:13 AM
This may be a good thread to add information on the latest software update for the reMarkable tablet:
https://blog.remarkable.com/big-software-update-convert-handwritten-text-revamped-pdf-export-and-much-more-b4a0256c2cc4
Includes handwriting to text conversion and better PDF export, both of which have been discussed at this forum.
I expect my reMarkable to be updated in the coming days, I may report back after trying it out.
Posted by Dr Andus
Nov 20, 2018 at 12:10 AM
After a few months of using the Samsung Chromebook Pro with an EMR stylus (I even got an extra Staedtler Noris Digital Pen for it), I have to admit that it didn’t turn out to be the digital paper panacea that I wished it to be.
Nevertheless, it did result in some changes to some of my practices.
The Samsung CBP became the main device for doing all my PDF reading and annotation, using the Chrome app / extension called Kami (which is my default PDF reader in Chrome as well). So handwriting works for that.
I have also started to use Google Keep more often, as it can be set as the default handwritten note-taking app on the Samsung CBP. You don’t even need to log into the device, just open the lid, and there is a facility to launch Google Keep from the start screen on the go.
Google Keep has emerged as the main cross-platform solution to get my handwritten notes into my Windows laptop, my other Chromebook, and my iPod Touch (replacing the Boogie Board).
I was pleasantly surprised by the Google Keep iOS app as well, and I’ve even started using it for making todo lists (typed, not handwritten ones). I still use WorkFlowy for long lists, but Keep is better for isolated todos just for today, and having it easy accessible on the iPod is a bonus.
So Google Keep is essentially a syncing service and a collection and storage point for both handwritten and typed notes. I could also use it to capture URLs with the Google Keep extension, but I haven’t got into that habbit yet.
Squid as a handwritten note-taking application is even better than Google Keep (in terms of latency and features), but it does not have a good enough automatic sync, so I use it less often for that reason.
I have also invested in Myscript Nebo to transform my handwriting into typewritten text, but it’s been disappointing so far, as I found that I could type just as fast if not faster, even though I’m not a touch typist, which then defeats the purpose. But I need to spend a bit more time with it, as the diagramming feature looks kind of interesting, and it might be that I just haven’t given it enough of a chance.
Otherwise the Samsung CBP is a lovely device. It’s very slim, extremely portable, the screen is of amazing quality, and it’s just as much of an Android tablet as it is a Chromebook.
Posted by Hugh
Nov 20, 2018 at 11:13 AM
Dr Andus wrote:
>I have also invested in Myscript Nebo to transform my handwriting into
>typewritten text, but it’s been disappointing so far, as I found that I
>could type just as fast if not faster, even though I’m not a touch
>typist, which then defeats the purpose. But I need to spend a bit more
>time with it, as the diagramming feature looks kind of interesting, and
>it might be that I just haven’t given it enough of a chance.
>
One advantage of handwriting that I think (I may be mistaken) has not been mentioned so far in this thread is that recent American neurological research is reported to suggest that writing by hand engages deeper levels of the brain than typing does. So (it has been suggested) even if handwriting loses you speed, but it may improve understanding and articulacy.
Posted by Dr Andus
Nov 20, 2018 at 12:10 PM
Hugh wrote:
>One advantage of handwriting that I think (I may be mistaken) has not
>been mentioned so far in this thread is that recent American
>neurological research is reported to suggest that writing by hand
>engages deeper levels of the brain than typing does. So (it has been
>suggested) even if handwriting loses you speed, but it may improve
>understanding and articulacy.
From my own experience I do feel that writing by hand is different from typing and yet again different from dictation (in terms of the quality of the required cognitive engagement), and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day someone would prove that it affects the resulting quality of the text.
E.g. I find dictation more mentally exhausting (and won’t do it when I’m tired) because I need to compose the text in my head before saying it, as opposed to just allowing the sentence to be formed as I’m handwriting it or typing it.
But I think my problem with Nebo was that it actually distracted me from the process of thinking, as I focused too much on the tool and getting the words spelled right etc. So it’s a bit similar to the dictation problem, in the sense that it might be better suited for transforming a previously composed text into typed format, rather than writing from scratch.