1. The reMarkable (227 dpi and 10.3″) is over hyped. Network USB sideloading or WiFi to "cloud" and basically PDF plus a drawing pad. No onboard writing to text. I gave mine away. Only about 6G byte storage. The remarkable & remarkable 2 only differ much in construction (2 has slightly more RAM and CPU, and is thinner, but slippier writing surface and removes buttons). The exact same FW versions/GUI features. Only PDF natively. No SD card slot. It's quite old. A S/H original reMarkable is nicer if you want to sketch and have page buttons. Uses Wacom EMR stylus. The worst 10″ approx eink. No Metadata, only filesystem.
2. The Kindle Scribe (approx 10.2″ 300 dpi) is a walled garden. You can make FXL KFX, but it's awkward. You are meant to send PDFs to Amazon, download direct to Scribe, then send Annotated version to email (goes via Amazon) to your PC. No SD Card, but 32G or 64G. Uses Wacom EMR stylus. No native epub. You "Send to Kindle" (Amazon converts to KFX). Only MTP access on USB, though that's better than reMarkable. No Calibre Series or Collections, though you can somewhat manage ebooks on it. Must be registered to Amazon to use it at all. Can't reverse a FW update without Jailbreak & current version may have no jailbreak.
3. Kobo Elipsa, Elipsa2 (10.3″ 227 dpi). It lets you copy PDFs on/off and "write" on them. An epub is better annotated using BT keyboard or touchscreen keyboard and then that can be exported direct of via Calibre (two methods). Need never connect to Kobo after registration (which can use fake email and no payment), though even in "SideloadedMode=true" the WiFi can still be used to update writing resources and dictionaries. No Jailbreak needed to go back on FW (The links on this 3rd party page are to Kobo
https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html ) or install some 3rd party SW. However I only used it to check PDF layout and not even that since I got a better 23″ 4K PC screen. I was so impressed with the Advanced Notebooks that I bought the 8″ Sage (300 dpi) even though I already had 7″ Libra. Both use the NTrig/MS surface type Pen (cheap 3rd party ones without the BT OneNote work). MS did use Wacom, but Ntrig isso much better that MS bought them. It does need an AAAA cell, but these last nearly 10x longer than charge in an Apple Pencil. About 1 to 8 months (5+ year shelf life) depending on use and can be got for 60c. I only proof, annotate and write on the Sage now. These 3 Kobo models do true conversion of handwriting to shapes, check-boxes, formula and computer text with docx export. Complete management with Calibre. All have 32 G memory and the Sage hase page turn buttons.
4. Various 9.7″ models. Avoid as they are only 150dpi.
5. Quaderno was originally the same HW as the Sony DPT. The reMarkable is a like a bad copy of the Sony DPT series. The Quaderno seems to have better FW. However it's aimed at Corporate Digital Paper market like the Sony was. Very expensive.
6. Onyx. People that have them, like them. I don't know much.
Your criteria
Quote:
Need
1. size 10" - 13.3"
2. handwriting overlayed on document.
3. great organization of handwritten notes and highlights
4. ability to export highlights and notes.
5. some form of external storage - microsd or usb, etc
6. no app/proprietary software needed to add documents / ebooks - IE just drag / drop files to the ereader via wired connection to a windows / linux pc or load via the external storage device.
7. nice handwriting accuracy and feel.
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1. Bigger than 10.3″ has lower resolution, expensive and heavy.
2. Only good for PDFs. Really if YOU are generating content, better to annotate with real text on an epub 8″, not 10″+ PDF. Because then you can copy back into a text editor. I've been proof/annotating for 10 years on eink, first on Kindle files and then on epub on Kobo. PDF is madness. I'd only mark up formatting/layout mistakes. Proofing writing is docx to epub2, copy back annotations (which have highlight, chapter & location) and use in Notepad++ or KATE in a window beside wordprocessor file.
3. Those are separate. But you can interconnect handwritten advanced notes (converted on the ereader unlike reMarkable/Scribe) to epub highlights & short notes and pop between the two via gesture.
4. Kobo has best support for that, with or without calibre and without a service (reMarkable, Scribe and others need an Internet service).
5. Almost nothing has an SD card slot now, and only Android tablets can easily use USB storage. The 32 G Byte on Sage, Elipsa or Scribe is about 18,000 epubs or equivalents. Thousands of PDFs (or Amazon equivalent). The remarkable (either version) has less than 6 G Byte free and no SD card slot. Some Pocketbook models might have an SD card slot, or older Onyx. Or some Meebook.
6. Kobo uses USB Mass Storage, so is simple for Mac, Windows or Linux (any application or file manager). The reMarkable is USB Networking. It needs a Web browser and only one file at a time and make folders on the device GUI. The Scribe and most of the others use USB MTP, (only one connection in Mac or Linux, Winodows adds a device layer to multiplex). MTP files go about as quick, but the directory is very slow (listing files in a Folder). Calibre does have MTP support as well as Mass Storage.
7. People are opinionated about this. Some prefer Wacom (but it might be battery hatred). I've used two kinds of Wacom, Ntrig (MS / Kobo) and Apple Pencil. I prefer Kobo/MS type pen, 2nd is Apple Pencil on an iPad, next worst is any Wacom. The original reMarkable has textured plastic but reMarkable2 is shiny glass.
I've also played with a Newton (a fail) and Palm OS graffitti. Also used Wacom on Lenovo X201 tablet/PC (terrible).
The Kobo conversion to text is similar to iPad Nebo (using same software!) which also works on some Android tablets with Digitisers. It's the best I've ever used, but ONLY in the Advanced Notebooks. Writing on a PDF just adds a layer of handwriting.
The hand rejection works better on Apple Pencil or MS NTrig (Kobo Pen) than Wacom (Scribe or reMarkable or Lenovo X201 laptop), which can tend to also move cursor before you press on the screen!
Not needed?
Quote:
1. backlight
2. many formats
3. make audio notes
4. audio jack
5. plays mp3 audiobooks
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1. Scribe & Kobo & Onyx have backlights. Larger than 10.3″ seem either to have no light or poor evenness.
2. You only need epub & PDF. Calibre sorts all else. Scribe needs Amazon's Send to Kindle. The reMarkable "converts" epub to PDF, it's a PDF & sketch tablet. Amazon publishing for reflowable ebooks recommends epub upload (docx is second best). I convert html, text, rtf, doc, azw, docx, odt, mobi, prc, etc to epub (sometimes via odt & docx). PDF is an endpoint I use as received, or I create only for POD.
3. Make audio notes on your phone.
4. Some ereaders do have or had a 3.5mm jack, or BT or both. It's pointless compared to your phone (which will do as good battery life on audio playback with screen, WiFi and BT off). I do have a 7.8″ android eink with 3.5mm jack & BT as well as ancient Kindle K3 and DXG; pointless. I even added files and USB audio stick to Kindle PW3 to test. The Kobo models will only easily play BT Kobo Audiobooks, ditto, the Scribe (Only Audible titles easily).
I researched the Scribe a lot when it came out as it has 300 dpi (Amazon claim 10.2″ screen), but the more I learned the less I wanted it.
I looked at the 13.x″ models over the years. Too expensive, heavy and limited. I won't buy one unless it's current 10.3″ price, more than 230 dpi and similar enough to a Kobo to use.
I've used Sony (3 models), Kindle (6 models), iRiver, Nook, reMarkable, Kindle, Kobo (7 models), 4.7″ eink, Boyue Mars 7.8″ android eink and various other things. Four other people in the family now also have the Sage 8″, which is a perfect size for epubs and notes. The Kindle 9.7″ 150 dpi DXG, reMarkable and Elipsa (same 10.3″ 227 dpi screen) are too heavy.