Tech

Alternatives to the Kindle that you can also use as a notepad

Classic or hybrid e-book reader with notepad

This is the big question that some users ask themselves when deciding whether or not a device like the ones you will see below could be interesting for their day-to-day life and way of use both reading and notepad functions.

Choosing between a traditional eReader, without a pen, or a reader with annotation options via a stylus is not easy. Both have advantages and the most important thing is that they are what you really need and that it adapts to your needs as a user.

If what you are going to do is mainly read and to take notes you prefer a pen and paper, it is clear that these proposals are not for you. However, if you are one of those who embraced the paperless, The truth is that being able to put an end to paper consumption and enjoy advantages such as the synchronization of documents in the cloud, the ability to carry a multitude of notes and documentation without increasing the weight or size of your backpack is very attractive.

So the only way to choose the most suitable option is to list advantages and disadvantages according to your needs. Surely that way you get rid of doubts. But we tell you that they can be very interesting, although somewhat more expensive than a Amazon Kindle.

Kobo Elipsa

The Kobo ElipsaAs we told you in our analysis, it is one of those products that attracts attention in the first place because of its size. It is big, much more than what we are used to seeing in this type of e-book reader.

Despite its generous dimensions, the truth is that it is a very well balanced product with a fairly comfortable weight and form factor for day-to-day use. Although the great attraction is, without a doubt, in its stylus.

Thanks to the pencil, the product can be used as if it were a notepad and annotations can also be made on the pages of the books in electronic format that you have (as long as they allow it, something that happens with most compatible formats). In this way you will be able to point in the margins those comments that you need for a future consultation, underline, etc.

Characteristics

  • 10.3 inch screen
  • 32 GB internal memory
  • 1,400 mAh battery
  • WiFi and USB C connection for data transfer and charging
  • Pen for writing and drawing on the electronic ink screen
  • Price from 399 euros

Remarkable 2

After that original proposal that turned out to be the first generation of Remarkable, the second kept the same idea of ​​really offering a hybrid between tablet and e-book reader. Since it does not really prioritize one of the two functions over the other, although if it has wanted to position itself for something, it is because it is the ideal solution to stop using paper.

With a very elegant design and where the minimum necessary is offered to be able to interact comfortably with the 10.3-inch panel, it is a very interesting product where the performance of its pencil and the options stand out. time to write, draw, erase, zoom, etc. And yes, there is also text recognition and a large number of templates that simulate sheets of paper with lines, grids, dots, etc.

Characteristics

  • 10.3 inch screen
  • 8 GB internal memory
  • 3,000 mAh battery
  • WiFi connection and USB C connector
  • Pencil
  • Price from 399 euros

Ratta SuperNote A5X

The Ratta SuperNote A5X It is another of those devices designed both to read, write and make annotations. A device with an electronic ink panel that bets on the same diagonal of the previous ones with its 10.3 inches, although there is another model that is somewhat smaller and is designed to be used more in mobility (Ratta SuperNote A6X).

Along with a somewhat more classic design and similar to a classic electronic book reader, this proposal is closer to the one offered by Remarkable than Kobo. Even so, there is something that attracts a lot of attention and is the possibility of opting for three different types of pencils or pens, each with a different design and that resembles that of real pens and not one designed for touch screens like the previous ones, a lot more similar to those of tablets like Wacom’s or Apple Pencil itself.

Characteristics

  • 10.3 inch screen
  • 32 GB internal memory
  • 3,800 mAh battery
  • WiFi connection and BT 5.0
  • Pencil with different design and ultra resistant tip
  • Price $ 499

Boox Note Air

The Boox Note Air It is utta particular proposal, but this time the operating system it uses is Android. This allows you to enjoy a number of features that still give you a bit of an edge over your competitors. The main one: being able to activate the Play Store.

With a 10.3-inch screen, this device is very similar to the Kobo Elipsa in terms of design and offers pen support with which to draw, write or make any type of annotation when consulting a document or creating a new one freehand.

Of course, this is not the only option of this manufacturer focused on this of devices with an electronic ink screen that can use a pen to enrich the user experience. There are more models, also more expensive, so among all those offered it is possible that the most interesting is this and even so its price is close to 500 euros.

Characteristics

  • 10.3 inch screen
  • Internal memory
  • Connection
  • Pencil
  • Price of 479 euros

Interesting alternatives in functions

As you can see, electronic book readers with the ability to use a pencil to take notes, write or draw are nothing new or exclusive to a single manufacturer.

There are several proposals on the market and all you have to do is assess to what extent they are interesting or not. Because by price they are more expensive than a Kindle.

Although the advantages if you make intensive use of them can be many. Of course, the Apple iPad with its Apple Pencil is also placed next to other tablets with stylus as rivals to this type of product.

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