Android Handwriting App recommendations for EMR enabled ereader

[emmabee]

I'm looking for recommendations to help me choose the least worst of the FREE android handwriting/note taking thingy app for an EMR enabled ereader please. As many opinions as possible would be ideal. It is for a 10.3 inch screen if that matters. Non google owned apps please. Handwriting NOT keyboard

Thanks heaps
Emma

P.S I've never used a screen like this before so I have no idea.

[Quoth]

Nebo is the best. I tried loads.
It's not free. MyWrite is the company. The demo undersells it.
It's also on iOS, Mac, Windows and three Kobo eink models (cutdown version).

It's one of only maybe 4 Android apps I've bought in nearly 10 years.

[emmabee]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Nebo is the best. I tried loads.
It's not free. MyWrite is the company. The demo undersells it.
It's also on iOS, Mac, Windows and three Kobo eink models (cutdown version).

It's one of only maybe 4 Android apps I've bought in nearly 10 years.

If we removed it from planet earth & you absolutely had to pick a free app. What would you pick?

[DNSB]

None. The free handwriting apps I've tried have been worth less than the price.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by emmabee

If we removed it from planet earth & you absolutely had to pick a free app. What would you pick?

None. I'd use a BT or USB keyboard. They are garbage. I spent nearly 2 weeks testing.
Even famous MS OneNote isn't close to quality and functionality of Nebo.

The only free thing that works is install Google's Gboard from Playstore. It's already on newer android. Go look at settings. By default it has tell Google everything and a stupid keyboard layout with gestures.

Add PC QWERTY and Handwriting keyboards. Turn off voice, emogies, gestures (except swipe on space bar to move cursor), turn on privacy and turn off all reporting. I think the default settings are illegal in the EU! But easily fixed.D

Some settings change at once. Other settings (like adding a keyboard for existing language) need you to scroll and tap SAVE!

Can be added to older Android (works on Android 8) and works with finger on dumb touch screens on a phone. Works better with any EMR or digitising active stylus. Then use free Jota to edit text.

You only need WiFi or Data on first use when it downloads the system components. After that it's off-line and standalone.

[Quoth]

Advantage of Nebo vs Gboard for handwriting:
1) Auto shapes
2) Auto formula
3) more space to write on a tablet instead of a touch pad that barely holds one word.
4) More natural size (only the TCL NxtPaper phone works with Nebo with no stylus, Nebo otherwise needs EMR or other true stylus. Doesn't work with separate EmmR/Wacom tablet.
5) Built in import of PDF
6) Various exports (PDF, docx, HTML, PNG etc. Docx is best unless it's an imported PDF.
7) Complete notetaking app with hierarchy etc. Gboard is only a text input method for an app.
8) Sketches with handwriting as text.
9) Annotation on imported PDF can be as is (new layer on other PDF viewers) or converted to computer text (will copy/paste in any decent PDF viewer)

Note you can't change the language of a notebook in Nebo, but if you add a language, then English is still recognised. So add German, Spanish, French, Irish Gaelic etc to have recognition of words with accents. Such as café instead of cafe.

Both do real time preview.

Gboard performance is useless to display handwriting on eink Android and preview, so I guess that's why Nebo on eink Kobo is so poor and has no preview. I've never used Notebooks on Kobo since getting Nebo on my TCL Nxtpaper11. I was able to import all the existing nebo files from Kobo Sage and Kobo Elipsa.

I don't use Nebo on my TCL Nxtpaper phone, too small. But I use Gboard handwriting on it and my other phones for SMS, text notes, Viber messenger, search & etc, anything except phone numbers.

[Quoth]

Note that Google often claims pre-paid "gift cards" are invalid.
You can add a payment method in Playstore, but need real browser to remove it, and PayPal isn't removed in reality unless you get Paypal to edit your Paypal account.
See can you buy direct from MyWrite now that EU is forcing Google and Apple to allow 3rd party payments.

[stetre_76]

@emmabee I think it also depends on which device you are using.

I have a Boox Tab Ultra C Pro and for me Nebo (as pretty much any other 3rd party handwriting app) doesn't really work.
It's just to slow - when you write a sentence there's a 4-6sec lag until you see what you've actually written. It's just not smooth.

But i guess that's a bit of a special use-case as Boox devices work amazingly well with the onboard Boox apps (Notes, Neo Reader, ...) but seem to have some difficulties with 3rd party apps.

[Quoth]

No note taking with real-time preview text conversion is going to work on eink. It's x10 at least too slow.
That's why the implementation of note taking on Kobo using MyWrite Nebo is a crippled cutdown version.

After having four eink (one is Android) that can do notes in various ways, I've abandoned eink for that. I just read on eink with minimal typed annotations to a big highlight on epubs. No comparison with OLED/LCD for notes. Now there are at least 4 makers doing decent matte screens and the Nxtpaper is excellent with eink-like battery life, there is no need for colour or writing on eink. Also Android eink is hit and miss as to what apps work.

I've ordered a £229 (inc Irish taxes) NxtPaper 3.0 based 14.25″ tablet (3:2 aspect) to add to my Nxtpaper phone and Nxtpaper 11 tablet (Nxtpaper 2.0).

I'll only use the eink for novels and small mono PDF instructions. Kobo Sage 8″.

[Quoth]

Nebo (MyWrite) is usually only enabled on ONE Android device when you buy it. It's on "Black Friday" Sale on the Playstore for all compatible Android devices registered to your account for under €6.