• Sometimes I’m sitting in a session, taking notes & photos of presentation slides, table not always available.
• Sometimes, I’m walking (fast!) indoors and outdoors on a college tour, taking notes and taking photos. The tours take place in all kinds of weather: sunny, hot, & humid; rainy, cold, & cloudy; everything in between.
• I have a single destination where my notes eventually need to land.
• I have colleagues who swear by their Remarkable, but I’d rather not have a relatively heavy single-use piece of tech when I travel. (Sole exception being a camera for certain destinations not related to work!)
What I’ve settled on:
• OneNote app - free, available on multiple platforms; take notes on any phone or mini-sized tablet; in office, easy to copy & paste entire notes to the single destination using laptop; have not tried the OCR (yet).
• Rocketbook - executive size Core notebook; used less now, mainly using OneNote; the letter size can be too floppy in certain situations; OCR works relatively well for me (YMMV) and the original scan is preserved.
• Paper “steno”-sized notepad - carry as a backup, because tech is sooo convenient … until it isn’t.
Tips:
1) Fire HD 8 tablet - probably the least expensive way to use OneNote if you want a bigger form factor than a phone; available in the official Fire tablet App Store, no need to side load.
2) Some convention center meeting rooms have terrible wifi! If your tablet is wifi only, use OneNote on phone, a Rocketbook, or paper.
I'm loving Supernote by Ratta. I upgraded from Rocketbook. The powerful organizing options and almost endless battery life make me feel spoiled! I wish more companies had their dedication to products that last- they make the back removable so I am able to replace parts if needed instead of needing to upgrade every couple of years.
The Supernote Nomad (https://supernote.com/pages/supernote-nomad) to me was a complete game changer. It's compact enough (there is a larger version though), lightweight, e-ink, and open source.
What I like about it:
- Easily repairable and upgradable: they sell every part separately in case you need to replace the battery or the screen, for example. They also sell the pen nibs so you can customize your own pen if you want to.
- The software is updated on a regular basis with a transparent roadmap.
- No subscription needed
- Works with Kindle app!
- Easy to sync across devices
- It doesn't feel _exactly_ like paper, but it's very close to me.
I moved to Kindle Scribe (am a PhD student) it allows me to read Kindle books, import and annotate PDFs and use notebooks. The notebook (and annotated PDFs) transcribe well to NotebookLM - and thus allow all the functionality of AI workspaces to overlay the written word (won't get into all the subjective benefits of writing here). Cons: 2 steps to integrate into NotebookLM. Size is ok but the weight is serious. Net: Strong recommender.
Sandeep, thanks for that helpful comment and recommendation of Kindle Scribe. Would you mind explaining your two-step integration with NotebookLM? Sounds like a useful workflow.
Jeremy you covered a lot of ground here. This is a topic I keep wandering when I'm going to dig in and learn more but each time I look at the array of products available - I feel overwhelmed.
So thank you for touching on each of these technologies and patiently explaining where each one is of value or not. This much have taken quite a while to pull together. Thank you for your work on this and willingness to share.
Mostly I use paper and Draftapp and Notes on my MacOS. I too have started scanning in some notes for ChatGPT to convert. That always amazes me.
I do love my reMarkable BUT - and this is a big but - I haven't been able to get into the habit of using it. When I'm doing interviews it always seems to be easier to just grab the paper notebook that I always have sitting on my desk. I guess 35 years of muscle memory is to blame. Any tips for getting me on track?
A few tips. Try using templates that make it easy to add a title, date, and summary in a consistent spot so that you can develop a new muscle memory to replace the old. 2 Try using it for something consistent daily so you get into a routine, like a morning plan or an end of day summary. 3. Set up a notebook especially for meetings/interviews so you know you have a spot ready to go whenever you end up in an interview. 4. Pick a pen or pencil style you like and that feels good to you to make it more comfortable to use. 5. Put your paper notebooks a bit further away to add a little friction and to make the remarkable a little more appealing by comparison. I hope those help! P.s. maybe you can use paper for interviews but remarkable for something else. That’s another option to have a kind of hybrid system.
Remarkable 2 with the marker plus. I bought a leather folio on ETSY for $50. I recommend buying extra tips for the marker as they can & will break unexpectedly.
I learn a lot with Wonder Tools, Jeremy. Thank you.
But you're disadvantaging those of us on the West Coast with holding your masterclasses at 10am Eastern/7am Pacific! I know it's hard to satisfy everyone when your readers are scattered (I'm sure there are readers in Europe and Asia as well). If your schedule allows, perhaps mix up the timings a bit to give us a chance?
Hi Lance! I appreciate your feedback, and your input is welcome. The upcoming special book discussion about AI (based on Ethan Mollick's Co-Intelligence) will take place at 3:30pm ET on March 20 https://lu.ma/qhy2nstu Two of the upcoming events are with special guests from Europe, hence the 10am ET start times.
Most of the events over the past year have been in the afternoon east coast time (usually at 12, 1 or 2pm ET). I expect many of the 2025 events will be in the afternoon ET as well. So — hopefully — many of the events will fall at a convenient time for you.
And yes, I'll continue to mix the times up a bit to accommodate people in various time zones. And I'll keep sharing the recordings afterwards so people can catch up if they can't make it live.
I think in the end, it really comes down to preferences, history of writing manuscript, and the purpose of the entries. For my case, I also use a hybrid system. I think it’s important to throw thoughts/goal setting on paper by hands. Maybe something how my millennial brain was formed, and first externalized/linked thoughts and ideas was on paper. For this I use Paper Republic. These notes are not intended for used or to be searched, so can be archived per year. Then I use the PARA system as a second brain for projects and developing knowledge. This has to be digital in order to be effectively searchable and accessible and provide value while freeing mental charge. For that, I simply use Apple Notes, that are sync’d on iCloud, can paste different media, be organized by folder and tags, some AI rewrite/summarize features, AND his free. There are of course more sophisticated note taking app like Obsidian. But Apple Notes helps me keep it distraction-free and not tied to any subscriptions.
I would agree that if you don't need color for reading or writing, and if you prefer the slightly smaller size and slightly lower price tag, the pro model isn't a crucial upgrade. If you use a paper tablet all the time and either prefer a slightly larger writing surface or like using colors for annotation (or reading graphic novels, etc), or just want the latest/greatest model, and if the budget difference isn't a top criteria, then the Pro makes sense.
I have multiple use cases for notetaking:
• Sometimes I’m sitting in a session, taking notes & photos of presentation slides, table not always available.
• Sometimes, I’m walking (fast!) indoors and outdoors on a college tour, taking notes and taking photos. The tours take place in all kinds of weather: sunny, hot, & humid; rainy, cold, & cloudy; everything in between.
• I have a single destination where my notes eventually need to land.
• I have colleagues who swear by their Remarkable, but I’d rather not have a relatively heavy single-use piece of tech when I travel. (Sole exception being a camera for certain destinations not related to work!)
What I’ve settled on:
• OneNote app - free, available on multiple platforms; take notes on any phone or mini-sized tablet; in office, easy to copy & paste entire notes to the single destination using laptop; have not tried the OCR (yet).
• Rocketbook - executive size Core notebook; used less now, mainly using OneNote; the letter size can be too floppy in certain situations; OCR works relatively well for me (YMMV) and the original scan is preserved.
• Paper “steno”-sized notepad - carry as a backup, because tech is sooo convenient … until it isn’t.
Tips:
1) Fire HD 8 tablet - probably the least expensive way to use OneNote if you want a bigger form factor than a phone; available in the official Fire tablet App Store, no need to side load.
2) Some convention center meeting rooms have terrible wifi! If your tablet is wifi only, use OneNote on phone, a Rocketbook, or paper.
3) You can scan anything with Rocketbook using their Beacons (https://getrocketbook.com/products/rocketbook-beacons, $15.99); no need to use the sticky back.
4) If your Rocketbook Frixion pens run out, you can scan paper notes by laying them on a Rocketbook page (or use Beacons).
5) For #3 & #4 above, Rocketbook OCR capability is a plus (YMMV).
Thanks, Diana, for those Rocketbook tips, particularly 3 + 4.
I'm loving Supernote by Ratta. I upgraded from Rocketbook. The powerful organizing options and almost endless battery life make me feel spoiled! I wish more companies had their dedication to products that last- they make the back removable so I am able to replace parts if needed instead of needing to upgrade every couple of years.
The Supernote Nomad (https://supernote.com/pages/supernote-nomad) to me was a complete game changer. It's compact enough (there is a larger version though), lightweight, e-ink, and open source.
What I like about it:
- Easily repairable and upgradable: they sell every part separately in case you need to replace the battery or the screen, for example. They also sell the pen nibs so you can customize your own pen if you want to.
- The software is updated on a regular basis with a transparent roadmap.
- No subscription needed
- Works with Kindle app!
- Easy to sync across devices
- It doesn't feel _exactly_ like paper, but it's very close to me.
- Price is OK
I moved to Kindle Scribe (am a PhD student) it allows me to read Kindle books, import and annotate PDFs and use notebooks. The notebook (and annotated PDFs) transcribe well to NotebookLM - and thus allow all the functionality of AI workspaces to overlay the written word (won't get into all the subjective benefits of writing here). Cons: 2 steps to integrate into NotebookLM. Size is ok but the weight is serious. Net: Strong recommender.
Sandeep, thanks for that helpful comment and recommendation of Kindle Scribe. Would you mind explaining your two-step integration with NotebookLM? Sounds like a useful workflow.
Hey Jeremy, just wrote a piece on that. Will love a critique.
https://sandeepbhushan.substack.com/p/elegant-learning
Jeremy you covered a lot of ground here. This is a topic I keep wandering when I'm going to dig in and learn more but each time I look at the array of products available - I feel overwhelmed.
So thank you for touching on each of these technologies and patiently explaining where each one is of value or not. This much have taken quite a while to pull together. Thank you for your work on this and willingness to share.
Mostly I use paper and Draftapp and Notes on my MacOS. I too have started scanning in some notes for ChatGPT to convert. That always amazes me.
I do love my reMarkable BUT - and this is a big but - I haven't been able to get into the habit of using it. When I'm doing interviews it always seems to be easier to just grab the paper notebook that I always have sitting on my desk. I guess 35 years of muscle memory is to blame. Any tips for getting me on track?
A few tips. Try using templates that make it easy to add a title, date, and summary in a consistent spot so that you can develop a new muscle memory to replace the old. 2 Try using it for something consistent daily so you get into a routine, like a morning plan or an end of day summary. 3. Set up a notebook especially for meetings/interviews so you know you have a spot ready to go whenever you end up in an interview. 4. Pick a pen or pencil style you like and that feels good to you to make it more comfortable to use. 5. Put your paper notebooks a bit further away to add a little friction and to make the remarkable a little more appealing by comparison. I hope those help! P.s. maybe you can use paper for interviews but remarkable for something else. That’s another option to have a kind of hybrid system.
Thanks for sharing those tips. I'll definitely try 3 and 5. It's such a terrible waste otherwise!
Remarkable 2 with the marker plus. I bought a leather folio on ETSY for $50. I recommend buying extra tips for the marker as they can & will break unexpectedly.
I learn a lot with Wonder Tools, Jeremy. Thank you.
But you're disadvantaging those of us on the West Coast with holding your masterclasses at 10am Eastern/7am Pacific! I know it's hard to satisfy everyone when your readers are scattered (I'm sure there are readers in Europe and Asia as well). If your schedule allows, perhaps mix up the timings a bit to give us a chance?
Hi Lance! I appreciate your feedback, and your input is welcome. The upcoming special book discussion about AI (based on Ethan Mollick's Co-Intelligence) will take place at 3:30pm ET on March 20 https://lu.ma/qhy2nstu Two of the upcoming events are with special guests from Europe, hence the 10am ET start times.
Most of the events over the past year have been in the afternoon east coast time (usually at 12, 1 or 2pm ET). I expect many of the 2025 events will be in the afternoon ET as well. So — hopefully — many of the events will fall at a convenient time for you.
And yes, I'll continue to mix the times up a bit to accommodate people in various time zones. And I'll keep sharing the recordings afterwards so people can catch up if they can't make it live.
I think in the end, it really comes down to preferences, history of writing manuscript, and the purpose of the entries. For my case, I also use a hybrid system. I think it’s important to throw thoughts/goal setting on paper by hands. Maybe something how my millennial brain was formed, and first externalized/linked thoughts and ideas was on paper. For this I use Paper Republic. These notes are not intended for used or to be searched, so can be archived per year. Then I use the PARA system as a second brain for projects and developing knowledge. This has to be digital in order to be effectively searchable and accessible and provide value while freeing mental charge. For that, I simply use Apple Notes, that are sync’d on iCloud, can paste different media, be organized by folder and tags, some AI rewrite/summarize features, AND his free. There are of course more sophisticated note taking app like Obsidian. But Apple Notes helps me keep it distraction-free and not tied to any subscriptions.
I use Readwise to follow up my reading and Notion for notes! Thank you for the tips!
I didn’t see a need for the Pro, but I love my remarkable.
I would agree that if you don't need color for reading or writing, and if you prefer the slightly smaller size and slightly lower price tag, the pro model isn't a crucial upgrade. If you use a paper tablet all the time and either prefer a slightly larger writing surface or like using colors for annotation (or reading graphic novels, etc), or just want the latest/greatest model, and if the budget difference isn't a top criteria, then the Pro makes sense.
There is some great tech in here, and I really like the balance of it.
Any thoughts on the Kindle Scribe?