I thought I’d create a thread to discuss, compare and centralize tips on the e-ink stylus experience.
Starting off with @Bronsky’s usecase with PDF annotations:
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet ordered a Boox tablet (buyer’s dillema between Air 3 C and C Pro), but according to reddit u/ImposterBk you can import PDFs for markup:
Save a copy of the PDF to the /noteTemplate folder. Then create a new note, go to the layers, and for the Template, select your PDF. If it’s a multiple page PDF, then keep adding pages to your note, and each new note page will take the next page from your template as its next background.
Would be more ideal if native PDF annotations were supported, but this workflow should be something similar to what @Kumabjorn uses with OneNote, right?
Has anyone tried this or have an alternate method for PDF markup?
I import PDFs with a page in OneNote for every page in the PDF. I do highlighting in different colors that are topic related. Red for people, yellow for facts, topaz for further research and so on. Then I insert my thoughts, ideas and musings around the page (outside the margins of the PDF). That way I can zoom out when going through the materia and find what I need.
The native NeoReader on Boox tablets also allows ink markup, no need to import it as a template in the notes app unless you want to actually use it as a template.
I use a combination of apps on Boox TUC. I keep teacher guides for our curriculum in NeoReader for reading. I use OneNote for all the onenotey things - kids workbooks in shared notebooks, my home planner, syllabus and lesson planning for teaching, general notes. MobileSheets Pro for sheetmusic with the caveat that while color eInk is fantastic to mark scores for study, the screen is a little small for conducting or performance. I’m still more likely to grab the Lumi for that.
Did you end up picking up an e-ink note device and testing out your OneNote workflow? Very interested to see if the latest devices can hold up (as they have the specs).
How’s the inking latency and overall markup fluidity?
As I recall global handwriting mode for Android apps always did full refresh to “set” the ink, has this improved to be more seamless now? (maybe only refreshing the inked part)
I’m not exactly sure if it is the hardware or on teh software side but there is tremendous lag and strokes are not complete. This is done in-store and the sales peopole just look embarrased when I start doing it. No one can answer the smple questions ”why”.
For a point of comparison, have you tried the same on the newer Galaxy Tab S7-9s?
If the hardware holds up there, then it probably is an e-ink rendering issue. For older Boox models, u/crp852 shared bunch of optimization tips, but apparently the lag is fixed in the later Boox models (handwriting at @~4:50):
@violajack, are you getting the same responsiveness inking and selecting in OneNote?
Inking in OneNote on my Tab Ultra Color is lag free. Navigating OneNote is still eInk speed though, which means zooming and panning are messy. I have had some issues where it resizes my backgroud PDF instead of everything and I end up having to reposition it from another device. But I’m moing to a PDF planner built for the TUC in NeoReader for next year rather than a generic PDF planner in OneNote as that’s really the only one that gave me trouble. My OneNote notes are relatively small. Most of my use is reading with NeoReader or, you know, reddit.
No, but I am using it on a Galaxy Tab 6 Lite and it works fine, but with Android’s limitations. Note taking is fine, note administration is a nightmare.
Interesting to watch that video when I have more time. Thanks for that tip.
Watched the video. Seems to me that highlighting still comes with some lag. Also, a little too much of an infomercial for my taste. A Deep Guide by Voya (spell?) would be really interesting.
