Revisiting the reMarkable 2 (Part 3)

Is this the last “ultimate” guide?

reMarkable 2 with sepia brown Type Folio, Marker Plus, and Spigen pencil holder

In previous articles, I explained what I like about the reMarkable 2, and how it’s been a great companion for my flavor of ADHD. Unfortunately, portions of what I said in part 1 are out of date: the reMarkable software has changed, as have the software hacks. This article will be as Desperado is to El Mariachi: both a sequel and a superior remake.

Let me start with the conclusion: the ReMarkable tablet is better today than the first time I used it, and every time since then. Improvements came mostly through software updates, but a few hacks are still required to give yourself the best experience. I will also recap how to add your Kindle books to the reMarkable.

Update: The reMarkable Pro tablet has been released. With a larger screen, more responsive stylus, backlight, and color ink, it might be worth the upgrade. They even resolved the issue with losing the stylus in your bag.

What I Love about reMarkable

I have tried a number of tablets, including the Apple iPad Pro and the Kindle Scribe. While each has its purpose — the iPad is perfect when I’m illustrating articles like this or watching shows on a plane, and the Scribe is the nicest Kindle screen available — I keep coming back to reMarkable. It’s the best of electronic paper without the worst of today’s electronics:

• Velvety screen plus a toothy stylus: it feels like paper
• No apps, no notifications, no distractions: my ADHD can chill out, and I can focus
• A beautiful calligraphy pen style: it has me writing letters again — in cursive!
• Long battery life: I’ve only run out of power once
• Light and easy to carry: I’m more likely to have it with me
• Low profile: It looks like a paper notebook, so I’m not another laptop zombie at the café
• Simple movements: quick and easy gestures let you navigate documents, browse pages, pinch-to-zoom, and undo/redo
• No backlight, no blue glow: it reads like paper (But you can’t read in the dark)

My quibbles have dissolved

In my first post I had some quibbles. Well, they’re all gone now. ReMarkable has improved the software in surprising and delightful ways that took care of every want I have had so far:

• Undo/redo is just a tap of two or three fingers
• Swapping between your two favorite pen types / colors is just a few taps
• Previous documents are only one swipe away
• Highlighting text is even easier with taps

Also, I had made a case for an alternate stylus, the Lamy AL-star EMR. While I think it is a wonderful stylus, its button won’t work without additional software. I found that since reMarkable software improvements obviated the need for the DDVK hack, it was better to keep things completely clean and leave out any software hacks at all. The Marker Plus is my favorite because of its eraser, but with the undo/redo finger taps, you might be happy enough with the standard Marker.

Keep from losing your stylus!

The one big, big problem with the Marker and Marker Plus isn’t with the stylus itself, its with the case: it doesn’t keep your stylus safe. It’s far too easy for the magnetically attached stylus to come loose in your bag and just … disappear. I feel a tiny voice in the back of my head saying, “watch out for your stylus.” Fortunately, there is an elegant solution: the Spigen Apple Pencil Holder is 100% compatible with the reMarkable tablet — it fits in both style and color. (You can see it in the article photo at the top.) Now that tiny voice has quieted down and I can relax. Literally everyone I know with a reMarkable has this product and loves it.

I do have a few wishes

• I sometimes wish there were a backlight, so I wouldn’t have to turn on the overhead light in the evenings to read. At the very least, a brighter white background would provide more readable contrast.
• The stylus doesn’t write as faithfully around the edges of the screen as the middle; although, the expanded page width and infinite scroll effectively solve this issue.
• I would like the display to have a higher resolution than 226 DPI. Maybe we’ll get this in a reMarkable 3 someday?
• The keyboard case doesn’t have square bracket keys? WTH

It’s a fantastic companion to my ADHD

I covered how the reMarkable 2 works well with my flavor of ADHD in part 2, but I’ll just say this much here: while I prefer audiobooks to visual ones, when I do have to read, it’s better on reMarkable. It’s also a bigger screen than most Kindles, so maybe you’ll want to move some books over and give it a try. Therefore …

Here’s the easiest way to put Kindle books on your reMarkable tablet using a Macbook

My previous method for moving Kindle onto reMarkable was convoluted and had become unreliable. A little research dug up this Reddit post, which led me to a simpler method (sorry, Apple Macbooks only).

Kindle Converter Mac is a freemium bit of software that works in concert with a couple other free downloads available on their site (Kindle for Mac v1.40 and Calibre). After downloading and installing all three software, you should have what you need to follow the instructions.

Once you have your EPUB files, simply drag and drop them to your reMarkable using the reMarkable desktop software.

Note: This method will only allow you to convert Kindle books that you already own, and that’s only fair.

Oh yeah, and the Type Folio is cool

I have both the leather Book Folio and the Type Folio. I use the former as a light case. I use the latter when I want to get some writing done without any distraction. It’s great at a coffee shop, with or without Wi-Fi. And since I do a lot of writing these days, it’s been my everyday carry.