MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Onyx Boox Max 2

HoldOntoMyPencil · 02-11-2018, 10:44 PM

There is no dedicated thread for any feature wishlists, so as to not clutter up any more semi-unrelated threads, why not make a new one here!

I received my Boox Max 2 a couple of days ago and have been using the heck out of it, overall a really nice device. Btw mine came with a stylus that HAS a clip, so it will not fall through the loop anymore. Seems like Onyx listened to the comments about that.

I am using a Wacom grip-pen from the older Intuos2 line of tablets though, which has superior ergonomics. Works beautifully.

I'm an artist, so my wishlist is mostly centered around the notes application which has a lot of potential.

"Must-have!" - wishlist:

Different stroke colors (maybe a selection of grey values).
Marker pen mode that ignores all the strokes made by the regular pen tool, and places its own color behind the pen strokes. It will require a special marker eraser, so it can be deleted independently of the other strokes. Super useful!
Show a preview line of the path that the default eraser tool takes, so it is obvious which strokes get intersected and subsequently deleted.
Eraser with pixel erasing mode. So that parts of a stroke can be freely deleted without deleting the entire stroke. Very important. OR alternatively, a "white" stroke color, which effectively does the same (visually anyway).

"Would be great to have!" - wishlist:

Different stroke tip choices (like a rectangular tip which can work well with the marker style).
Custom page template support. Maybe by letting the user put their custom backgrounds into a folder on the device.
Tool preset buttons. Maybe 3 of them in the available space of the toolbar, which can register the current set of chosen tool + all settings with a long-press, and quick-recall them with a short tap.
Variable/selectable opacity instead of just stroke width. This would give it more of a pencil, and less of an ink feel.
Filled geometric shapes (either filled with a solid color, or selectable opacity).
Marker style geometric shapes - so they can be put behind pen strokes and help to annotate them.

"Want it, but it is not urgent!" - wishlist:

Layers. Ideally with opacity control per layer.
Ability to import and place other bitmaps, or screenshots.
Stamps. Ideally with support for custom user stamps (maybe .png files with alpha channel, or .svg files?)
Text tool, so text can be freely typed and placed inside the note.
Box and freehand selection tool, with the ability to transform (rotate, move) the selected content. Even if this would rasterize the affected strokes, and make them impossible to quickly delete with the standard eraser tool later. Also add an option to delete everything inside the selected area. This could also be useful.
Symmetry line down the center horizontally and/or vertically (user choice) - helps with numerous design tasks.
Custom thumbnails for the notes/folders. Would be fun to just scribble them manually. But of course totally unnecessary from a functional standpoint.

I am aware that one could just say "use one of the many third party drawing apps from the Play Store!" but sadly all of them have a massive lag on this e-ink display, rendering them entirely useless. I tried them all

I tried the A2 mode, but it helps not a single bit.

Of course many of these things may not work when used as annotations on pdfs, but that's totally fine. I'd love to do more versatile sketches with this device, so the notes application should be beefed up and blow the competition out of the e-ink sketching market... or maybe given an extended sketching/art variant, which won't work for annotating anything, but has the advanced features in it.

General wishlist for the overall device operation:

Ability to configure the back-button (physical button) to either terminate the current full screen app OR bring up the app switcher when being pressed for 3 seconds. This would help with some third-party apps that hide the status bar, and thus the only way to quickly return to the home screen.
Ability to let the user specify their own graphics for the stand-by and the power-off screens (let them put them into a directory on the device!)
This would turn the Max2 into a beautiful static picture frame when not in use, further enhancing its versatility. (Plus it can be greatly marketed as such in the patch notes )
Setting to allow the device to enter stand-by or power-off mode without overwriting the current screen contents! Why waste the amazing property of e-ink displays to show content when powered off!
Instead simply display a small, unobstrusive information box at the top center, or in a corner of the screen that says "STAND-BY MODE" or "POWER OFF", so the user is not confused why they cannot interact with the device.
Or add a text ribbon around the outer screen edges which reads "STAND-BY +++ STAND-BY +++ STAND-BY [...]" and "DEVICE IS POWERED OFF +++ DEVICE IS POWERED OFF +++ [...]", respectively. Many options, all really interesting and much better than the pretty (but useless ) current choice of stand-by and power-off screen modes.

And that's about that. I am aware it is really unlikely that Onyx has the available manpower (or interest) to implement all (if any) of these things, but hey, doesn't hurt to put it out there, right? I just feel that this is a really good device with a lot of potential.

Curious what ya'll have got in mind, I assume most of you primarily want to read books on it?

02-11-2018, 10:44 PM	#1
HoldOntoMyPencil Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 12 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Sol System, Earth Device: Onyx Boox Max 2	Onyx Boox Max 2 - Feature Wishlist There is no dedicated thread for any feature wishlists, so as to not clutter up any more semi-unrelated threads, why not make a new one here! I received my Boox Max 2 a couple of days ago and have been using the heck out of it, overall a really nice device. Btw mine came with a stylus that HAS a clip, so it will not fall through the loop anymore. Seems like Onyx listened to the comments about that. I am using a Wacom grip-pen from the older Intuos2 line of tablets though, which has superior ergonomics. Works beautifully. I'm an artist, so my wishlist is mostly centered around the notes application which has a lot of potential. "Must-have!" - wishlist: Different stroke colors (maybe a selection of grey values). Marker pen mode that ignores all the strokes made by the regular pen tool, and places its own color behind the pen strokes. It will require a special marker eraser, so it can be deleted independently of the other strokes. Super useful! Show a preview line of the path that the default eraser tool takes, so it is obvious which strokes get intersected and subsequently deleted. Eraser with pixel erasing mode. So that parts of a stroke can be freely deleted without deleting the entire stroke. Very important. OR alternatively, a "white" stroke color, which effectively does the same (visually anyway). "Would be great to have!" - wishlist: Different stroke tip choices (like a rectangular tip which can work well with the marker style). Custom page template support. Maybe by letting the user put their custom backgrounds into a folder on the device. Tool preset buttons. Maybe 3 of them in the available space of the toolbar, which can register the current set of chosen tool + all settings with a long-press, and quick-recall them with a short tap. Variable/selectable opacity instead of just stroke width. This would give it more of a pencil, and less of an ink feel. Filled geometric shapes (either filled with a solid color, or selectable opacity). Marker style geometric shapes - so they can be put behind pen strokes and help to annotate them. "Want it, but it is not urgent!" - wishlist: Layers. Ideally with opacity control per layer. Ability to import and place other bitmaps, or screenshots. Stamps. Ideally with support for custom user stamps (maybe .png files with alpha channel, or .svg files?) Text tool, so text can be freely typed and placed inside the note. Box and freehand selection tool, with the ability to transform (rotate, move) the selected content. Even if this would rasterize the affected strokes, and make them impossible to quickly delete with the standard eraser tool later. Also add an option to delete everything inside the selected area. This could also be useful. Symmetry line down the center horizontally and/or vertically (user choice) - helps with numerous design tasks. Custom thumbnails for the notes/folders. Would be fun to just scribble them manually. But of course totally unnecessary from a functional standpoint. I am aware that one could just say "use one of the many third party drawing apps from the Play Store!" but sadly all of them have a massive lag on this e-ink display, rendering them entirely useless. I tried them all I tried the A2 mode, but it helps not a single bit. Of course many of these things may not work when used as annotations on pdfs, but that's totally fine. I'd love to do more versatile sketches with this device, so the notes application should be beefed up and blow the competition out of the e-ink sketching market... or maybe given an extended sketching/art variant, which won't work for annotating anything, but has the advanced features in it. General wishlist for the overall device operation: Ability to configure the back-button (physical button) to either terminate the current full screen app OR bring up the app switcher when being pressed for 3 seconds. This would help with some third-party apps that hide the status bar, and thus the only way to quickly return to the home screen. Ability to let the user specify their own graphics for the stand-by and the power-off screens (let them put them into a directory on the device!) This would turn the Max2 into a beautiful static picture frame when not in use, further enhancing its versatility. (Plus it can be greatly marketed as such in the patch notes ) Setting to allow the device to enter stand-by or power-off mode without overwriting the current screen contents! Why waste the amazing property of e-ink displays to show content when powered off! Instead simply display a small, unobstrusive information box at the top center, or in a corner of the screen that says "STAND-BY MODE" or "POWER OFF", so the user is not confused why they cannot interact with the device. Or add a text ribbon around the outer screen edges which reads "STAND-BY +++ STAND-BY +++ STAND-BY [...]" and "DEVICE IS POWERED OFF +++ DEVICE IS POWERED OFF +++ [...]", respectively. Many options, all really interesting and much better than the pretty (but useless ) current choice of stand-by and power-off screen modes. And that's about that. I am aware it is really unlikely that Onyx has the available manpower (or interest) to implement all (if any) of these things, but hey, doesn't hurt to put it out there, right? I just feel that this is a really good device with a lot of potential. Curious what ya'll have got in mind, I assume most of you primarily want to read books on it?