Digital notepad recommendations?

[Kermit power]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a device which would allow me to take notes in meetings, and have them automatically converted into text for use later on my laptop.

The reMarkable2 looks pretty much ideal, but at £400+, it's bloody expensive!! Even the Mk1 is still coming in at £300.

There are cheaper alternatives such as the Wacom Bamboo Folio which comes in at less than half the price, but still requires the use of physical paper unlike the reMarkable, and also call me Mr Paranoid if you will, but I really don't like the idea that I have to synch everything via their Cloud.

Would anyone recommend any alternatives?

[randlemarcus]

OneNote, and any old Android/Windows/Apple tablet, with a size and pen combo that suits you.

[Tycho]

randlemarcus said:

OneNote, and any old Android/Windows/Apple tablet, with a size and pen combo that suits you.

I'm pretty sure that only the Windows and Mac versions have writing to text and not the IOS/Android. You could sync to Windows or Mac and convert there.

[ATG]

I used to take notes on Samsung Note2 and Note 3 phones. Worked Ok. Their stylus technology was very good. Software was OK. I imagine it has come on a bit since then. I'd have thought it'd be worth checking out what their tablets can do these days.

[Kermit power]

I've actually got a Note 10+, but it would be rather fiddly for long meeting notes, hence looking for something more A4 size...

[ATG]

Reading the reMarkable2 blurb, if they've managed to get the stylus and screen to feel like a pencil on paper, that'd be a big improvement over the stuff I've used. I don't know if it's just me being used to working on paper all my life, but writing with a friction free stylus tip always felt uncontrolled.

[Tycho]

ATG said:

Reading the reMarkable2 blurb, if they've managed to get the stylus and screen to feel like a pencil on paper, that'd be a big improvement over the stuff I've used. I don't know if it's just me being used to working on paper all my life, but writing with a friction free stylus tip always felt uncontrolled.

I use OneNote all the time with my iPad Pro and have got a matte screen protector on it. This gives the pencil a bit of drag which improves the feel of writing a lot. I think the smaller iPads are compatible with the pencil as well now.

[blueg33]

I use Onenote with a SurfaceGo. The surface pen has different tips available, but even the standard one gives a decent amount of friction so its close to writing on paper.

Its been my not book for 12 months now, syncs to all my devices etc. I feel no need to go back to paper, and I am an old git .

[Kermit power]

Kermit power said:

I've actually got a Note 10+, but it would be rather fiddly for long meeting notes, hence looking for something more A4 size...

Actually, scratch the above. I've just actually figured out how to use the pen properly, and it's really rather good!

Now I just need to figure out how to add other languages and 1 reckon PH just saved me a bunch of cash!

It's a shame you can't combine it with Google predictive typing, which is much better at correctly guessing between two possible alternatives, but overall, this is a revelation!

[LordGrover]

There are several ways to achieve pretty good handwriting to text conversions - how about old-school using pen & paper and then scanning/photographing? In my quick tests MS OneNote sees to do a pretty good job.

[blueg33]

LordGrover said:

There are several ways to achieve pretty good handwriting to text conversions - how about old-school using pen & paper and then scanning/photographing? In my quick tests MS OneNote sees to do a pretty good job.

Just hand write into onenote on a tablet and convert it, saves all that paper and scanning