By now, most people know what an eReader is: a device that has advantages over computers, tablets, and smartphones when it comes to reading eBooks and eMagazines. Let me recap those advantages.
eReaders have longer battery life and work much better in bright light that those other devices. Some models also have self-lighting options for low-light situations. eReaders are typically smaller, lighter, and less expensive than their tablet counterparts because:
- they are simpler devices because they are purpose-built
- their price is somewhat subsidized by eBook purchases you make on them
The eReader has been around for more than 10 years … but now we have the option of the eWriter: a device with many features of an eReader, but with the added ability to act like a paper notebook or notepad. Sony quietly offered one model in 2014, discontinued it in 2016, then re-released it in 2017 as the DPT-RP1. Just this year, a startup company called Remarkable (remarkable.com) introduced a similar product: the RM100.
eWriters are big—roughly the size of a sheet of paper—but also thin, light, and durable. You can work anywhere with them, but they need wifi to transfer documents to and fro. They accept PDFs, and the Remarkable also accepts ePUBs. You can mark up these document types, or initiate your own notes.
These devices are great as oversized eReaders, but also as document markup tools, note-takers, and sketchpads. Think of that busy lawyer who takes notes in meetings and marks up existing documents, but must then get those scribbles off to their secretary for typing/editing. Or that person-on-the-go who is forever writing on scraps of paper … and then losing them. Or any designer who wants to save/share their sketches. eWriters are great in all those situations.
It is important to note that there are fewer distractions with eReaders and eWriters than with other devices. Your smartphone or tablet have similar functionality, but those devices are also bombarding you with email, texts, posts, and advertising.
The eWriter is a great new product, but at $879+, I would suggest most people wait for their prices to drop.