Handwriting?? Please Help!

[socksarecool4]

Hi All, I am currently looking for an e reader that has decent handwriting capabilities. I recently found out about the 6.8-inch Netronix but it seems they are no longer sold. I just want an e reader with decent handwriting capabilities, preferably under 200USD. Please any suggestions are appreciated.

[apos]

Hi,

as far as I know - and I am looking into this subject for a very, very long time - I can only give you one advice:

Don't invest any time or money into this subject when it comes to REAL handwriting capabilities if you cannot afford the price for a good device and / or don't really exactly know for what purpose you would use this device. E. g. "handwriting" and just "notes taking" are total different tasks. Or do you just like to annotate a PDF, make a sketch? If you like take the device to university doing you work there is just one answer: 200 bugs are not enough - sorry!

There are only a few devices out there that have REAL WORLD handwriting capabilities - and most of them are tablets or tablet pcs (in order from best to worst):

- Mac Book Pro (> 800 €) -> MOSTLY PERFECT, see Video link at the bottom !!!
- Microsoft Surface Tablets with special pen and e. g. MS OneNote
- Lenovo touch screen pc with special pen
- Samsung Note tablet with S-Pen

... which are all expensive devices ...

There are technically reasons and marketing issues for that manufactures simply did not adress or integrate such components into an e-ink device yet - despite the techniques are available (Apple, Samsung, ...).
These components are:

1. a dedicated* touch screen
2. and / or a dedicated* software for palm rest recognition
3. a dedicated* stylus
4. To get the real "handwriting" feeling, the device has to react very fast which is simply no possible due to the fact that most e-ink devices have not that fast hardware (due to power consumption) and lack a fast and responsive display!
5. * "dedicated" hardware components and must work together in high efficiency to be capable to catch mens handwriting in affordable speed

There are however two kinds of e-ink devices that try to address this problem:

Sony "digital paper":
- Sony DPT-S1 (> 700 €) -> most advanced technique (not in terms of hardware specs, but proof of concept when it comes to PDF!). The price of the device drops constantly .
-> "Sony DPT-S1 Digital Paper, go paperless" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y04s3bdlgNg

Android devices:
- Goodereader 13'' (> 700 €) which has a Wacom Stylus (new device, not really proven yet)
- Onyx Boox Max is an 13'' device (>700 €) (new device, so not really proven yet) I never saw a real world example using it as an hand writing device.
- Pocketbook Cad Reader (not released yet)

And given you an answer about affordable devices:
- The Onyx Boox m96 devices with stylus seam to to have such capabilities (~350 €):

->Video shown here "Onyx Boox m96 - Handwriting Speed Test" with a stylus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMnPo4pN_qA

However there exists a newer model, the Onyx Boox n96 with ether front display or dual touch that now which costs > 400 € (thanks Dr. Drip ;-) )
probably you can take advantage of the new model and get the older M96 for a good price (https://www.amazon.de/Onyx-BOOX-M96-...1&tag=mr000-21 for around ~300 €).



I only saw a few proof of concept real world videos using such devices, as the one shown above. Most of those videos come from people that are just play around with such devices making silly sketches but do not seriously work with them (like some videos from goodereader!!!):

How serious work could look like using a tablet for studies is shown here:

- "ipad pro handwriting" -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vguu_1dXiB8
- There is a video about a guy did mathematical writing with the Sony DPT-1 out there in Youtube, but I cannot find any more ... But I really know from reading comments of people that use this device on a daily basis for working with documents and handwriting. And see the opinion of this guy "OMG! the handwriting is AMAZING! it's fast, responsive (takes a second to antialiasing and delete)" ( cross reference: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=516 )


You should definitely consider to digitize your handwritten notices with apps like e .g. CamScanner.

[Update] Or _wait_ until prices drop: I am sure (hope), prices for 10'' or 13'' e-ink devices will fall during the next years down to ~350 € (10'') and <500 € (13'').

Best regards
Axel


Addendum:

I by myself tried different solutions digitizing my handwriting but never was really satisfied. I had bad experiences buying third party pens for existing devices and I ended up scanning or using an app like Cam Scanner.

I cannot (or will not) afford 900 € for an Apple iPad Pro, but it would be definitely the device I would use for real hand writing.

For just notes taking or working within given (PDF) documents, the Sony DPT-S1, the Onyx Books Max (every format) or the Goodereader 13'' device could be the best choice.

[Dr. Drib]

I might add that the Boox N96 or N96ML (which is the newer version of the Boox M96) is one you may wish to consider.

Please refer to apos's excellent answer above.

[rem736]

if you are strictly looking for a notebook replacement and nothing else. then the sharp wg-s20/wg-s30/wg-n20 may meet your needs. it's NOT e-ink and DOESN'T DO anything else but take notes and the contrast is really poor compared to e-ink/modern tablets. but the response to writing is fast and accurate (as long as your finger nail doesn't touch the screen). it's ok if a knuckle touches, but not a finger nail. it comes with a resistive stylus, so it'll write with any pointy stylus, including the cap of a bic pen (just make sure that the pointy end is smooth). another plus is that the battery lasts a very long time.

another negative is that the menu items are in japanese and this cannot be changed.
but for basic functionality, you can get by with the icons and there are guides in english that can be downloaded. with enough usage, you be able to memorize the positions of menu items and their functions that are in japanese text.

pros:
1. very responsive
2. palm rejection
3. long lasting battery

cons:
1. poor contrast (but quite visible under bright lighting/sun light).
2. only 6" screen
3. ui in japanese only (but you can get by on icons).

[The Inktelligent]

Hello Socksarecool4!

Apos gave a pretty thorough rundown of the options out there, but if you are looking for an e-ink device, I too would definitely suggest the Sony DPT-S1. Writing on the device is usually a breeze! There may be one or two areas near the edge of the screen that are sometimes not as responsive, but it really is the best I have seen from an e-ink device. The 13.3 inch screen is also very nice to read on. The only problem is the price, although Sony recently heavily reduced it to $599 on amazon. There are other 13.3 models out there right now, but, sadly, from what I've heard I cannot recommend any of them (ex. their Lithium Polymer batteries developing bulges.....scary!). They are also actually more expensive on average at the moment.

If only working with PDF documents is fine for you, then the DPT-S1 seems to still be king of the 13.3 inch e-reader hill.


A very close second is the Onyx Boox M96. They are harder to find nowadays, but its successor, the N96 is available. They have a smaller screen at 9.7 inches, but the newer model, the N96, comes in two models: one with dual touch (electromagnetic stylus+touchscreen) and one with a front light.


If you would like a better idea of how the Onyx Boox M96 fares against the Sony Digital Paper in terms of fluidity of writing and other factors, please see my video review of both together on you tube. Just type in "Sony Digital Paper v M96" and look for the video with my name as the author. You can also find the link to it in the Onyx Boox forum on here.

Hope that helps!