1---
2title: 'Catchy title about Supernote being "the new paper"'
3author: ["Amolith"]
4lastmod: 2023-01-27T13:00:37-05:00
5tags: ["Supernote", "Writing", "Productivity", "Organisation"]
6categories: ["Technology"]
7draft: true
8toc: true
9---
10
11I like writing things down. I like the feel of the pen (preferably a fountain
12pen) gliding smoothly over the paper, that nice solid feeling of the tip against
13the table, seeing the ink dry as it flows from the nib, accidentally swiping my
14hand through it before it's finished and smearing a bit of ink across the page,
15then cursing under my breath as I dab it up with a handkerchief or a napkin or
16something else nearby. I also love that writing things by hand [has an impact on
17memory and improves
18retention.](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614524581)
19
20## The problem {#the-problem}
21
22Unfortunately, I don't love keeping up with that paper. Across many different
23classes, even with dedicated folders for each one, something important
24inevitably gets lost. Notebooks are also bulky and can take up a lot of space. I
25tried [bullet journalling](https://bulletjournal.com/) for about a month earlier
26this year and, while the process was enjoyable, the maintenance was not. My
27brain moves faster than my pen (even though I have terrible handwriting) and I
28inevitably forget letters or even whole words. This is a problem while writing
29in pen because white-out looks ugly and I dislike wasting whole pages because of
30a couple mistakes.
31
32The obvious solution here is to get an iPad with an Apple Pen, right? Right??
33
34Wrong because Apple bad.[^fn:1]
35
36## The solution {#the-solution}
37
38Enter the world of ... what are they even called? E-ink notebooks? Paper
39tablets? E-R/W?[^fn:2] Do they even have a "device category" yet? I don't know,
40but they solve my problem in a wonderful way.
41
42As the names suggest, these are devices that can _usually_ open and read e-books
43(EPUBs, PDFs, etc.), annotate them, and create standalone pages of notes as if
44they were full notebooks. The most well-known of these devices is likely the
45[reMarkable.](https://remarkable.com/) They had a [hugely successful
46crowdfunding
47campaign](https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/08/remarkable-raises-15-million-to-bring-its-e-paper-tablets-to-more-scribblers/)
48and produced the reMarkable 1, followed by [the reMarkable 2 in 2020.](https://blog.remarkable.com/remarkable-2-the-next-generation-paper-tablet-91b47d0080cb)
49There are a few devices like these by now but we'll look at the reMarkable
50first.
51
52## The reMarkable {#the-remarkable}
53
54This device boasts all of the features I was looking for. It renders digital
55content, from books and manuals to comics and manga, allows you to mark those
56documents up as you would if they were physical media, create full notebooks of
57hand written text, organise them, search, and, if your handwriting is legible
58enough (mine certainly is not), perform OCR on your notes and email a
59transcription to yourself. It even runs Linux and the developers have opened SSH
60up so you can remote in and tinker with it as much as you like. Because of this,
61there's a pretty awesome [community of people creating third-party tools and
62integrations](https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable) that add even
63further functionality. My favourite is probably
64[rMview,](https://github.com/bordaigorl/rmview) a really fast VNC client for the
65reMarkable that allows you to view your device's screen on any computer.
66
67After watching all of [MyDeepGuide's](https://www.youtube.com/c/MyDeepGuide)
68[extensive playlist on the
69reMarkable,](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsSI9-gaSSmiXwb7Vjk5Vb-nB41UTnrXd)
70however, I decided to go with a different product.
71
72## Enter the Supernote A5X {#enter-the-supernote-a5x}
73
74The [Supernote A5X](https://www.supernote.com/#/product?type=SN-A5-X) has all of
75the basic features the reMarkable has: reading documents, writing notes, and
76organising your content. Its implementation, on the other hand, seems to be much
77more polished. It also lacks some features from the reMarkable while adding
78others.
79
80## Operating System {#operating-system}
81
82While the reMarkable runs Codex,[^fn:3] a _"custom Linux-based OS optimised for
83low-latency e-paper"_, the Supernote just runs Android. There are both benefits
84and detriments to this; on one hand, they're running all of Android, bloated
85that it is, on a very lightweight tablet. On the other, they don't have to
86develop and maintain a custom operating system. This allows them to focus on
87other aspects that are arguably more important so I don't actually mind that it
88runs Android.
89
90The only place that Android stands out is in system operations; file transfer
91uses MTP and, when you swipe down from the top of the device, a small bar
92appears similar to what was in early Android. This lets you change WiFi
93networks, sync with the Supernote Cloud, take a screenshot, search, and access
94the system settings. Nothing else about the device really screams Android to me.
95
96## Community {#community}
97
98I don't usually browse Reddit but [the Supernote
99community](https://old.reddit.com/r/Supernote/) there is fascinating. I haven't
100looked around enough to know exactly what his relationship is with the company,
101but one of the members, [u/hex2asc,](https://old.reddit.com/user/hex2asc) seems
102to represent Supernote in something of an official capacity. He's incredibly
103active and usually responds to posts and questions within a day or two.
104
105Before I purchased a Supernote, [I wrote a
106post](https://old.reddit.com/r/Supernote/comments/lhffyd/sync_targets_open_document_formats_and_crossnote/)
107asking about a couple of things that concerned me: sync targets, open document
108formats, and cross-note links. I don't really plan to write full documents on
109the device but having the option to do so would still be nice. The other
110features are absolutely killer for me as I would like to maintain a Zettelkasten
111(I wrote about [using Vim to do so](/vim-as-a-markdown-editor/) last year but
112didn't end up sticking with it) and manage document synchronisation with my own
113Nextcloud server. The community was quick to respond and confirm that
114Zettelkasten functionality would be implemented soon™. u/hex2asc responded _the
115day after_ and said that WebDAV would be supported but not earlier than May
116(September update: it's still not supported), ODF would likely not be supported,
117and cross-note links were definitely a possibility. Another community member has
118been avidly following the subreddit and even put together an [unofficial
119roadmap.](https://app-rm.roadmunk.com/publish/03e6dca3d769e2b7015f7f48a649cb3f75f44d9e)
120
121## Interfaces {#interfaces}
122
123### Home & Organisation {#home-and-organisation}
124
125#### <span class="org-todo todo TODO">TODO</span> Record very short video about home/organisation {#record-very-short-video-about-home-organisation}
126
127### Settings {#settings}
128
129#### <span class="org-todo todo TODO">TODO</span> Record very short video about settings {#record-very-short-video-about-settings}
130
131### Writing & Annotating {#writing-and-annotating}
132
133The following images are screenshots of the full page above with the possible UI
134variations while reading a book. This first one is default, with the editing bar
135at the top. It is exactly the same as what's displayed on the blank pages for
136hand writing full notes. From left to right is the Table of Contents toggle, the
137pen tools (fineliner, "fountain" pen,[^fn:4] and highlighter), the erasers,
138lasso select tool, undo/redo, context menu, palm rejection toggle, previous
139page, goto page, next page, and exit.
140
141{{< figure
142src="~/repos/sites/secluded/static/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-default.png" >}}
143
144You can hold your finger on that bar and drag it down to detach it from the top.
145The default width exposes all the tools without whitespace. You can move it
146around the screen by dragging the circle with a straight line through the middle
147on the far left.
148
149{{< figure
150src="~/repos/sites/secluded/static/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-medium.png" >}}
151
152If you tap that circle, the width shrinks and everything except the pens,
153erasers, and undo/redo buttons are hidden. It can be dragged the same was as in
154the previous image and tapping that circle will expand the bar again.
155
156{{< figure
157src="~/repos/sites/secluded/static/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-small.png" >}}
158
159The last mode is with the bar completely hidden. You achieve this just by
160dragging it to the right edge of the screen. Once hidden, you can swipe right to
161left from the edge and it will be revealed flush with the right edge.
162
163{{< figure
164src="~/repos/sites/secluded/static/assets/pngs/supernote-reader-minimal.png" >}}
165
166## Experience {#experience}
167
168### Reading content {#reading-content}
169
170I love e-ink. I think it looks beautiful and would love to have an e-ink
171monitor.[^fn:5] That said, the Supernote has an especially nice display with 226
172PPI (pixels per inch). The image below was taken with my phone's camera so it's
173not very good. However, if you zoom in a bit, you can see that the curved edges
174of some letters are _slightly_ pixellated. Viewing with my naked eye at a
175comfortable distance, it does look better _to me_ than some of my print books,
176however.
177
178{{< figure
179src="~/repos/sites/secluded/static/assets/pngs/supernote-resolution.png" >}}
180
181_At the moment,_ I am pretty disappointed with Table of Contents detection for
182ePUBs. A great many of my books seem to use a legacy ToC format that the
183Supernote sees and tries/fails to read before attempting to read the more
184up-to-date one. This is easily remedied by editing the ePUB in
185[Calibre,](https://calibre-ebook.com/) going to Tools → Upgrade Book Internals →
186Remove the legacy Table of Contents in NCX format. You might need to make a
187small change to one of the HTML files and revert it before the save button is
188enabled. After that, just copy it back over to the Supernote and everything
189should work properly.
190
191### Writing notes {#writing-notes}
192
193I write notes as often if not _more_ often than I read and annotate books. It's
194the main reason I purchased the device and I love the experience. The Supernote
195doesn't _really_ feel like paper despite what their marketing materials claim,
196though it doesn't feel _bad_ either. It's hard to describe but I would say it's
197something like writing with a rollerball pen on high-quality paper with a marble
198counter underneath: incredibly smooth with but a little bit of texture so it
199doesn't feel like writing on a glass display.
200
201While writing latency[^fn:6] is noticeable, I really don't have a huge issue
202with it. I write very quickly but find that the slight latency actually makes
203writing _more_ enjoyable. It sounds weird and I'm not sure why, but I _really_
204like writing on the Supernote; it's wonderfully smooth, pressure-sensitive, the
205latency makes things interesting, and [the Heart of Metal
206pen](https://supernote.com/#/part?id=SP-04) feels good in my hand.
207
208### Surfacing Content {#surfacing-content}
209
210While organisation is done using a regular filesystem hierarchy, the Supernote
211does have other ways to search for and surface your notes. As you're writing,
212you can use the lasso select tool and encircle a word. A little dialogue pops up
213and gives you a few buttons for things you can do with that selection: copy,
214move to another page, cut, add it to the Table of Contents, or mark it as a key
215word. If you select the key word icon, the Supernote does some incredible
216OCR[^fn:7] on it and displays a dialogue where you can add it to the note file
217as a tag. This dialogue allows you to edit the word before adding it just in
218case the OCR was wonky. Even with my terrible handwriting, I've found that it
219works very well and I rarely have to make edits.
220
221## <span class="org-todo todo TODO">TODO</span> Ping Isi and Volpeon when finished {#ping-isi-and-volpeon-when-finished}
222
223[^fn:1]:
224 I dislike Apple's operating system, their hardware, business model, privacy
225 practises, and much of what they stand for as a company. Don't @ me.
226
227[^fn:2]:
228 E-R/W is a play on media commonly being labelled as R/W when you can read
229 from it and write to it.
230
231[^fn:3]:
232 Taken from their [support page about the reMarkable
233 2;](https://support.remarkable.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006699537-About-reMarkable-2-)
234 search the page for _operating system_ and it should show up.
235
236[^fn:4]:
237 It's not really a fountain pen even though that's what they call it; it's
238 just pressure-sensitive.
239
240[^fn:5]:
241 There does seem to be a group of people interested in just such a thing:
242 _[Challenges Building an Open-Source E Ink
243 Laptop](https://alexsoto.dev/challenges-building-an-open-source-eink-laptop.html)_
244
245[^fn:6]:
246 In this situation, latency refers to how long it takes for "ink" to show up
247 on the "page" after writing something.
248
249[^fn:7]:
250 _Optical Character Recognition_: the program looks at your handwriting and
251 tries to turn it into text.