Sony's new 13.3" digital paper DPTRP1 released

[LarryNYC]

Good suggestions xoanohn! I mainly erase, because I create new content a lot more often than I highlight existing content, but I definitely see the need to reprogram the buttons.

I also agree that having to press a physical home button all the time is jarring, and I worry that I'm going to wear out that switch!

I would also like to see a battery meter for the pen. What happens on low battery now, do we just get a popup?

By the way, I know this costs money, but you could buy a second stylus to avoid this problem. That's what I did. I might even buy a second RP1. ;-)

[John F]

Originally Posted by LarryNYC

We just need to get the reMarkable marketing campaign off of thls thread.

I don't believe the RP1 is perfect, no device or software is perfect. A device that is not shipping is thought of as perfect, however.

It's fine to have one thread for the RP1. Just start a list of features that we would like added to the RP1.

Ok, I'll start.

Suggested improvements to the RP1

1) Add some way to transfer documents to the RP1 while users are away from their main computer. This means either support for cloud integration on the RP1 or iPhone and Android apps that allow users to perform these transfers.

2) Add PDF navigation features, which Sony says they're working on.

3) Support for Bluetooth pedals to allow for hands free page turning.

Continue, referring to just the RP1 and how it could be made better.

Support reflowable PDF and allow changing font size.

Support for EPub.

A browser

A file system that can be navigated with Windows File Explorer

[LarryNYC]

John F, could you number your suggestions and quote the newest list so we can keep a running list?

Never mind, I'll do it for you...

[LarryNYC]

Suggested improvements to the RP1

1) Add some way to transfer documents to the RP1 while users are away from their main computer. This means either support for cloud integration on the RP1 or iPhone and Android apps that allow users to perform these transfers.

2) Add PDF navigation features, which Sony says they're working on.

3) Support for Bluetooth pedals to allow for hands free page turning.

4) battery notification for the pen. I am paranoid about the pen dying during my 90 minute commute.

5) ability to program the pen buttons and default pen action. I only highlight and holding down the top button is giving me a hand cramp.

6) an option for a home button on the screen. It is jarring to push the physical key when going back into folders.

7) Support reflowable PDF and allow changing font size.

8) Support for EPub.

9) A browser

10) A file system that can be navigated with Windows File Explorer

[rem736]

Originally Posted by LarryNYC

Suggested improvements to the RP1
7) Support reflowable PDF and allow changing font size.

since this is a full page display, i'm curious as to why you would want the "reflowable" feature. how would this be usefull?

[Ghitulescu]

People may wish what they want - Sony does not listen. And never listened to.

[John F]

Originally Posted by rem736

since this is a full page display, i'm curious as to why you would want the "reflowable" feature. how would this be usefull?

It would allow me to pick a comfortable font size without having to zoom and pan.

I would prefer epub support over reflowable PDF.

[LarryNYC]

Originally Posted by Ghitulescu

People may wish what they want - Sony does not listen. And never listened to.

All we can do is list suggestions, vote on them, and hope that something comes of it. It may lead to nothing, but nothing will certainly come out of saying nothing.

[juegos]

Sony will only implement changes if its market share is threatened in the tablet e-Reading market. Hence why it is so important to highlight they have a competitor, the reMarkable tablet. That device is a blessing to us consumers because without it, Sony would basically have a monopoly (disregarding Onyx), which is a terrible thought. The better the reMarkable tablet performs (and they've already sold more than 30.000 devices whilst still in the pre-order phase - see here), the more incentives Sony has to unlock its own e-Reading tablet (e.g. by adding internet access, cloud integration and ePub support to get it on par with the reMarkable) and make it attractive to a broader audience.

Hence rooting for the DPT-RP1 you bought (or in LarryNYC's case, the 2 DPT-RP1s he bought) - subconsciously justifying your purchase - whilst hoping its competitor will fail, if true, will backfire in the end.

We can list suggestions but don't be hopeful: most of these are industry standards (e.g. cloud integration and navigation features) and have been of course been pondered over for months, if not years, by the Sony team. They've had countless market research and meetings on whether to implement internet access, cloud transfer features, navigation features, and so on, and decided it was in their own interest not to implement these in the DPT-RP1 in the end (the sad irony being that many of the features now missing were actually in the predecessor DPT-S1). Instead they spent a year on developing the Digital Paper App to lock the device down. Hopefully the release of the reMarkable in August will alter these decisions in a future device of Sony.

Nevertheless the suggestions provide a good overview of the shortcomings of the DPT-RP1:

1) Add some way to transfer documents to the RP1 while users are away from their main computer. This means either support for cloud integration on the RP1 or iPhone and Android apps that allow users to perform these transfers.

2) Add PDF navigation features, which Sony says they're working on.

3) Support for Bluetooth pedals to allow for hands free page turning.

4) battery notification for the pen. I am paranoid about the pen dying during my 90 minute commute.

5) ability to program the pen buttons and default pen action. I only highlight and holding down the top button is giving me a hand cramp.

6) an option for a home button on the screen. It is jarring to push the physical key when going back into folders.

7) Support reflowable PDF and allow changing font size.

8) Support for EPub.

9) A browser

10) A file system that can be navigated with Windows File Explorer

11. Add a feature that allows you to scribble on the device using your finger. You can already do this when you click on the zoom button, but it'd be great if this is possible in general. Then you don't have to take the stylus out every time you want to mark something on a page. Add a special button to turn this feature on (and turn the use of stylus off) so it doesn't always interfere with other hand touches (e.g. to turn pages).

12. Add a back-to-previous-screen button as in Android devices (hence not just for navigation in documents, but for everywhere in the tablet)

13. Add a Wifi/Bluetooth button on the main screen so you don't have to go to the Settings menu every time to turn these on or off.

14. Add a virtual keyboard, for instance to fill in forms

15. Add handwriting recognition

16. Implement pinch-to-zoom

17. Add a feature to see how much battery you have left in % (right now it shows you it on a scale of 1 to 4 hence you can't see whether you're close to 25% or 0% when low on battery)

[LarryNYC]

Juegos,

A blessing that is too small is no blessing at all. That's the unreMarkable, in a nutshell.

Sony has already built and shipped two generations of their device, and your company has shipped zero units.

We're talking about an actual physical product that we use every day. At least we're complaining about something that is real and can be purchased today. Selling something and delivering and supporting it are vastly different things. We'll see how they do with the last two items.

[lensmann]

18. Sell the blasted thing in Europe (or at least provide warranty cover for people who import one from North America)

[DuckFOO]

Originally Posted by LarryNYC

Suggested improvements to the RP1

10) A file system that can be navigated with Windows File Explorer

From the descriptions I've read it sounds like the device might be using whole disk encryption. If correct, that might explain why it can't be mounted as a mass storage device.

[NNN]

Originally Posted by LarryNYC

Suggested improvements to the RP1

1) Add some way to transfer documents to the RP1 while users are away from their main computer. This means either support for cloud integration on the RP1 or iPhone and Android apps that allow users to perform these transfers.

2) Add PDF navigation features, which Sony says they're working on.

3) Support for Bluetooth pedals to allow for hands free page turning.

LarryNYC's first three are make-or-break for me—the gulf between "Yes!" and "Argh!"

Not make-or-break for me, but what would be useful, a key differentiator from tablets, and certainly feasible, would be screen mirroring of laptops and mobile devices. It would also be a workaround for many needs. C.f., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqsnYCfWow0

[fgdas]

Originally Posted by Ghitulescu

People may wish what they want - Sony does not listen. And never listened to.

That's why most of Sony's ereaders were successfully cracked.
These requests are also good guideline for other producers.

19:
Let me install one Android app.

[pothier]

20: Reinstate a "Undo" command (as was on the DPT-S1)

21: Allow to insert a blank page in pdf documents (as was possible on the goog old IREX, for those who remember this remarkable device)

(I think with all our suggested improvements, our new RP1 wil switch from remarkable to perfect :-)