Using a eReader for note taking

[hjay]

I'm interested in having an eReader which is also good for note taking - not just for annotating an ebook text, but for writing on a blank sheet.

Ideally I'd like an eInk device with some battery life, but with software which allows handwriting of notes and doodles, and the saving and exporting of these 'notes' in some useful format, such as DOC,RTF or PDF or suchlike.

Is there an eReader that can do this? Any recommendations?

Hugh

[Giggleton]

I'm not sure the ereader you want currently exists, but I think that it will soon,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b83dIs7S4Ug

The writing part is at about 3:30

[LuvReadin]

The Sony T1 lets you do this - you can open a blank sheet for either handwriting or typing. It's stored separately from the notes that are linked with a particular book.

[hjay]

Thanks for the youtube ref, giggleton- very interesting!

And thanks for the tip, LuvReadin - I'll look into the Sony, sounds interesting.

Somewhere I thought I'd read about an Asus that was good for this, but in the usual way of things I can't find it again!

[Billi]

Do you mean the Asus dr900?

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Asus_DR900

[hjay]

Ah, that could be the one!...or something like it, I thought there was a current model? But maybe that was a tablet...or I was dreaming....

9" may be a bit big really, be interesting to see what the 6 inch devices are like.

An Irex Dr1000 or even a Dr800 would do the trick. I use my Dr800 for the same thing. Awesome.

[exscentric]

The Entourage Edge or pocket edge can do notes on both screens, though ebay is the only source for them now that the company went broke.

The pocket is much cheaper as a rule. It is 7 inch and the full is a 9 or10 inch.

Any tablet will do notes on android but they aren't eink.

[hjay]

The trouble with tablets is battery life, and to a lesser extent weight. I'll see if I can find info on the Edges.

Thanks also for the heads up on the DRs, will take a look at them, too.

[Penforhire]

You mean 12-odd hours of heavy use between charges isn't enough working life and 1.3 pounds is too heavy? (iPad 2).

[hjay]

Sorry, penforhire, i should have said less than £200 (UK money)

12 hours would be very handy, of course. But yes, 1.3 pounds is too heavy. 8-10ozs more like.

I don't need all the colour gloss of a tablet, I'm not looking for all the bells and whistles and 'apps' of a major OS platform.

Lightweight, mono, can take/make notes and drawings and save them in useful file format for usb transfer to main computer. I don't want the online world in this device, it's a tool for a job.

ps. I'm an Apple fan and a Mac user, but the iPad's walled garden leaves me cold.

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by hjay

Thanks for the youtube ref, giggleton- very interesting!

And thanks for the tip, LuvReadin - I'll look into the Sony, sounds interesting.

Somewhere I thought I'd read about an Asus that was good for this, but in the usual way of things I can't find it again!

Asus Eee Note EA-800 Tablet
Linux-Device with Wacom-Pen-Technologie

It uses a different kind of eInk

From my own experience I would not recommend it for reading

[hjay]

Originally Posted by Beryll Snyder

Asus Eee Note EA-800 Tablet
Linux-Device with Wacom-Pen-Technologie

Ah, that would be nigh perfect

Tracking down a supplier in the UK looks like another matter, though...

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

You mean 12-odd hours of heavy use between charges isn't enough working life and 1.3 pounds is too heavy? (iPad 2).

No it's not. We need days of heavy use at a minimum.

[Jmirko]

Originally Posted by hjay

I'm interested in having an eReader which is also good for note taking - not just for annotating an ebook text, but for writing on a blank sheet.

Ideally I'd like an eInk device with some battery life, but with software which allows handwriting of notes and doodles, and the saving and exporting of these 'notes' in some useful format, such as DOC,RTF or PDF or suchlike.

Is there an eReader that can do this? Any recommendations?

Hugh

Hi Hugh,
If writing is your main goal, I highly recommend the Asus Eee Note EA-800. It has great pen response, nice search functions, voice recording, is very stable and solidly built, and lasts through several days of heavy use.
For reading, the LCD screen lacks the contrast of e-ink, so you need decent lighting, but is faster to refresh (critical for writing).
It can export notes in three different ways, the coolest of which is wireless upload to Evernote (via the built-in wifi radio).
I have scanned 18 months of office notes into it (in pdf format) and can find anything in seconds, using keywords in the titles.
I have been looking for one for a friend and the only source I found is the Asus Germany online shop, who sell it for EUR 199. Not quite the Ebay price of a few months ago, but if you don't need a full tablet, it may be a good choice. Link to the shop:
shop.asus.de/shop/de/de-DE/SearchResults.aspx?q=eee%20note&n=10&i=1
I don't know if they ship to the UK, but it's worth a mail.
Let us know how you decide!
Cheers,
Mirko