I wish to use digital notebooks, however they are not for me

There’s an entire sector of the tech business that is unusually romanticized in 2025. By that, I imply it waxes nostalgic for a pre-internet and even pre-digital period, however refuses to really jettison trendy know-how. Assume, as an example, of “hybrid” smartwatches geared up with analog watchfaces, or smartphones that deliberately restrict you to a handful of apps. You sacrifice a number of the comfort of, say, an Apple Watch or a Pixel telephone, however in return you acquire a bit further type, or a life freed from social media providers like TikTok and X. Primarily, they promote us on the notion that life was higher within the Nineties or early 2000s.

Nothing exemplifies this higher than the idea than the brand new wave of E Ink tablets, such because the reMarkable Paper Pro, the Amazon Kindle Scribe, or my very own Boox Note Air4 C. Whereas you need to use them as e-readers, you are actually meant to make use of them as handwritten notebooks — a approach of scribbling down concepts, plans, annotations, and sketches with out having to heft an iPad or Galaxy Tab. After utilizing one for a couple of months, I’ve come to understand the idea, however realized that it simply does not swimsuit my way of life. It is for a really slim area of interest of individuals, as I suspected from the beginning.

The benefits of a digital pocket book

Just a little bodily, principally psychological

On a fabric degree, the primary advantage of a digital pocket book is the flexibility to jot paper-like notes with out losing paper, but additionally with out the price and weight of an equal iPad, Android, or Home windows pill. That is going to depend upon the precise system you purchase, naturally. At $500, the Observe Air4C is definitely far costlier than a base iPad — and never that a lot lighter, coming in at 420 grams (about 0.93 kilos) versus 477 (1.05 kilos). Boox does at the least embrace a good stylus, whereas Apple makes you pay further for an Apple Pencil or a third-party accent.

One other simple benefit is battery life. A standard pill is unlikely to final greater than a few days (if that lengthy) beneath any critical utilization, owing to the mix of an LCD or OLED display and a strong processor. E-ink gadgets can typically final for per week or longer, since they do not want a lot in the best way of graphics functionality, and their shows do not devour any energy till a picture animates or if you happen to activate a frontlight. For note-taking, that signifies that an E Ink pill is sort of at all times able to go when you find yourself.

The actual causes individuals purchase a digital pocket book, although, are psychological. Some individuals simply choose handwritten notes, whether or not due to their flexibility, the deeper influence on reminiscence, or the uncooked tactile sensation. A lot of them are designed to simulate paper right down to the feel of the display, and that actually is satisfying — I as soon as spent a couple of minutes sketching a flower just because it jogged my memory of what I missed from childhood.

They’re additionally bought as a approach of distancing you from distractions. Even the fashions that help apps like TikTok or Reddit aren’t supreme for them, which makes it simpler to remain in a productive mode. In case you’re actually dedicated to a digital detox, you can also make one a main system, narrowing most of your leisure right down to e-books and perhaps the online.

The issues with digital notebooks

How a lot do you care about effectivity?

Maybe essentially the most basic impediment for me is that I can not make an E Ink pill a each day driver. My job entails writing all day, every single day, and the one approach of engaging in that effectively is on a single system with a keyboard, a mouse, and quick access to all my analysis supplies — i.e. one thing like my Home windows laptop computer. A digital pocket book is one thing I’ve to exit of my option to decide up and use, which makes it a detriment to productiveness.

I can and have used my Observe Air4C to brainstorm characteristic pitches, however I shortly realized that when all I am doing is placing down textual content, it’s miles easier to faucet one thing out on both my PC or my smartphone. I am at all times going to have one or the opposite with me, and I am far quicker at typing than I’m handwriting. You most likely are as effectively. Particularly, I choose to make use of iCloud Notes, which robotically syncs between all my gadgets. In that regard, a digital pocket book would solely simplify issues if I wanted to do a number of sketching — however I am not in Chemistry class anymore, and I am undoubtedly not an illustrator.

Once I do trouble scribbling one thing in E Ink, it is cumbersome to combine it into my workflow. Often I have to manually export notes to an outdoor cloud service. The individuals who use a digital pocket book for calendars are from a special planet, I feel — it is a lot extra sensible to place occasions and bookings into an app that reminds you of all the small print proper while you want them, corresponding to Google Calendar.

So who’s a digital pocket book for?

You most likely know who you’re

The obvious use case is somebody who spends hours a day jotting down complicated notes, or at the least filling out kinds. A couple of examples that spring to thoughts embrace college students, medical doctors, and a few workplace professionals like legal professionals. Colour fashions will entice some artists, designers, and designers. You’ll be able to’t produce commercial-quality paintings on an E Ink system — however it’s a good approach of getting the ball rolling while you’re not in entrance of your Wacom.

If notes are only a minor a part of your life, I might recommend some critical analysis (and introspection) earlier than you plunk down a couple of hundred {dollars} on one thing that is typically much less succesful than the gadgets you already personal. Discover that the advertisements for gadgets from Boox and reMarkable typically depict an elite, “government” way of life — immaculately dressed fashions working from well-appointed rooms, with nary a Mac or PC in sight. In case you spend most of your day in entrance of a pc crunching phrases, numbers, or code, you’ve got most likely received all of the instruments you want already, and little alternative to lounge for a number of minutes with much less environment friendly {hardware}.

In case you do really feel a burning have to eradicate distractions and join together with your notes, by all means go forward. However personally, the subsequent time I purchase a pill, it is most likely going to be an iPad. By the point I am able to improve, a 13-inch iPad Air is perhaps as mild as something E Ink has to supply, with out all the sensible limitations.