I appreciated what you said about having a second surface. I was struck when in one of Seneca's letters, he advocates having something to write on besides the main thing you write on or read. He said that in this way you can note thoughts that come to you, that are rabbit holes (my term) or separate, but without breaking off from the task at hand. Two-thousand years ago! What a guy.
Such an enjoyable and inspirational contribution - thank you, kind sir! I‘ve been on the fence about the Go 10.3 or the upcoming Supernote of similar size - also as somebody who does not enjoy option paralysis and having to overcome steep learning curves in order to start getting down to work. Currently using the Scribe. Your words are helping me understand that the Go 10.3 might be the best choice for me after all, and that I might just need to deal with the learning curve.
Such an enjoyable and inspirational contribution - thank you, kind sir! I‘ve been on the fence about the Go 10.3 or the upcoming Supernote of similar size - also as somebody who does not enjoy option paralysis and having to overcome steep learning curves in order to start getting down to work. Currently using the Scribe. Your words are helping me understand that the Go 10.3 might be the best choice for me after all, and that I might just need to deal with the learning curve. That said, Boox just published a video on some new products, including a DIN A4-sized (i.e. even larger) Note Max. Very curious to know more about that, as in whether it‘s similar to the 10.03, but just larger, or whether they are paring it down to be more similar to the Supernote or Remarkable in terms of notetaking focus.
AFAICT, Boox is the only one out of all of these manufacturers that lets non-artistically-inclined people like myself include generated shapes, and the only one that lets you include text in arbitrary places together with drawn content. it's a very strange omission especially from vendors like Ratta where they focus the Supernote so heavily on high-quality note generation, but here we are.
I've been similarly enamored with my smaller Boox tablet I got a few years ago. It's slim-ness, light-ness, simplicity, and even its subtle limitations while being the size of a paper notepad feels inspiring. Like some sort of futuristic "datapad" you'd have found in a sci-fi novel years ago, now made great & real. :)
Hi, have you tried connecting a keyboard and typing on it? I was wondering if the lag isn't too much, as I think this would be perfect for me if I can also use a keyboard with it. Thank you!
I am student and looking at the boox go 10.3 for focused academic reading and note taking. I am wondering how it will perform when jumping from one reading to another for refrencing or from notebook to document during classroom notetaking. Also will the recording feature be useful for capturing lectures, I mean to ask about the quality of the sound recording and how get are the microphone in this device. Lastly, even though it looks amazing in this slim and thin design, how sturdy is it. Considering I will be carrying it around in my backpack and i tend to push hard on the surface while writing, will it sustain any damage to screen. Because if it's too fragile then it won't be suitable for me. In this regard, I will greatly value your take on the sturdiness of this device because you are a designer and wood worker. It will determine how sustainable is it for long term use
I’d always advise trying an e-ink device first. The screen refresh rate is much, much lower than conventional screens, and you won’t be flipping rapidly between apps. Having said that, the reader app supports tabs for different documents, and you can split the screen to have a notepad and a document open side by side. For recording, you’re always best to put a microphone near or on the lecturer; the mics on devices are very small and have localised pickup. In the worst case, get a USB directional mic, and sit in the front row. Regarding sturdiness, I’d take care. E-paper devices almost always have a glass layer which is susceptible to shear or impact forces. They should be treated with respect, and then should withstand sensible usage. I’d recommend a sleeve or cover of some kind for when they’re going into your bag.
@@MattGemmellAuthor thank you so much. that helps a lot. I have a question about what you said regarding the multiple tabs in the reader app. Does it means that I can have multiple readings there at the same and can hop between them where i last left without the need to go back to library and open a new one after closing the last one? If this is the case then it fits my need because my use case is multiple readings along the notepad. Don't need other apps or ultrafast refresh rates, because I think it's inherently what e ink is not made for. Usually it's labled a limitation that must be surpassed like with the BSR thing, but for it is the essence or beauty of eink to be slow and focused and intentional. We have other devices all around us to be rash us. Also it's a given that I will be very sensitive with this device considering I am putting my months of saving into it. But I was just comparing it with the aluminum body boox note airs and considering whether it might me extra fragile. I am from pakistan, there is no way to test for me here, and the added fact I have to arrange for an acquaintance to bring it from england coupled with the high price i am paying. I want to be extra careful before making the decision
Also this will be the first and only e ink device i will be going to have for around 2 years without any chance for replacing because of the reasons i already highlighted. I get really surprized when people are saying have this device for this purpose and that for that... honestly I only got introduced into eink when I tried to move up from paper to digital note taking anf searched for that. Because I couldn't just rely on paper in my university, I was just lagging behind my peers who had ipads or were digitally savy with onenote etc. For me e ink was an ideal comprise between the digital accessibility and preservation along with the analog writing experience. And I tried a borrowed kindle from library and it was just amazing for me. I don't understand why i am rambling on and on but I have watched countless vedios on these devices. But listening to you it just felts I could ask you about my particular usecase. Which is very simply the need to have a good reader where i can annotate my academic readings and a decent note taker, to last me a long while without need to replace. Or any diminishment in quality over time
@@muhammadibrahim8312 I think you’ll be fine with the Go 10.3. The edges around the case are still aluminium, by the way. And yes, you can have multiple documents open in the reader app in tabs, and switch between them, while preserving your place in each one!
Excellent insights presented in a clear, candid manner. Thank you!. I read that the ceramic-tipped stylus from the Supernote series should not be used on the Boox as it might damage the screen. Those claims are clearly not verified by your own experience it seems. Thanks for the insights.
Thank you! I haven’t used a ceramic tip on these devices, and I’d advise caution if you’ve heard about problems. The underlying technology is of course compatible, but it may well be that the high hardness of ceramic wouldn’t interact well with certain screen surfaces.
@@MattGemmellAuthor true, although with a "self healing" screen protector on like the one I put on my Tab Mini C the experience with the Supernote ceramic pen is pretty nice.
Thank you for the video. I'm interested to know how well the BooxGo copes with calenders and to-do notes - my main interest is in having a notebook that syncs so I always have my notes with me (particularly because I forget my pad when switching between home and office working) - Where do synced notes sit if you want to reach them from a different device? I'm hoping it would also help me get organised and therefore also make Outlook and/or Google calendars on the go - have you tried these functions please?
Hi! Since it’s an Android device and has the Google Play Store, you can put Outlook and other MS Office apps on it, and you can also use Google Docs, calendars, etc. OneNote works too. Regarding your notes, they sync to Onyx’s cloud (the makers of Boox devices), and you can also set them to sync to third-party services like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. You can also read your notes at any time via the web.
Thanks! I never actually used the front light on my Note Air 3, so I haven’t missed it on the Go. It’s worth mentioning that I don’t read novels on the Boox devices; I have a Kindle Oasis for that, and do use the front light on it if it’s late at night and I only have my bedside lamp on.
Great review. Anyone know if the Boox 10.3 Go lets you insert lengthy notes in a book as you read through it? I heard the Remarkable lets you insert a full page of your own notes after each page of a book. I incline towards the Boox overall, but it would be a clincher if it could do this, or something similar.
Thanks! For reflowable formats like epub, you can add annotations either directly as handwriting, or in a pop-up window with as much text as you might like. You can also open a Split View with a notes document which is associated with each book/document. For fixed formats like PDF, you can insert a full blank page after each page of the document like on the Remarkable, and write on those pages.
Yes, so basically, with boox, you can change everything from an epub file, and to some extent, even PDFs. I have a Boox Tab Ultra, which is better than this in the tech side, but then it loses out in connection, the paper feel, the lightness and simplicity when you want. One thing I don't like about boox and love about Rata is the updates. I am stuck with android 11 with an equipment that has little more than an year, and when I bought it was the best there was. That was really shitty from Boox, for me, but everything else, it's amazing. Yes, it's complex and not super intuitive to costumize, but once it's done, super!
@cward2986 I'm not saying it is, I'm saying mine is android 11, they have now released the 13, and I'm still at eleven in what used to be their flagship. Take that info as you want, but my hopes aren't up in this regard. Why, beats me. The tab ultra c pro is almost identical to my tab ultra c
Where do you try these? Presumably you haven't bought them or been given them all like the pro-reviewers. I'd love one, but have never seen them anyway I can try them out.
would love to buy this new device, but 1 thing it's missing is the frontlight. perfect size and the price is not too high. however I want to be able to use it before bed, and at lunchtime at work (sometimes my colleagues turn off the light to sleep at lunchtime)
@@solidstatexx yeah that would be the solution, but your reading position would be limited. what I mean before bed is that I want to read as I'm lying on the bed, reading fiction novel before falling asleep. well I bought the device anyway. it's great but at night or indoor you'll need a decent lighting for optimum reading. and I should mention the ghosting is worse than I thought. I own nova 2 before and I think the ghosting experience is almost the same, except maybe fps for the highest speed is smoother.
I take long form notes every day in A4 note pads. As such I have different notebooks in different bags and at work and home . As a result I often don’t have the right note book to hand or can’t remember where I put what. I’m thinking about e ink, but so many reviewers talk about the lack of front light . I was after the larger supernote but it’s not available. I looked at the Boox note air 3 black and white, but can’t get hold of one anywhere. I don’t really need the colour and I note that the colour needs charging a great deal more. The go is a contender based on your review . Many say that the UI is too difficult. Have you found that to be the case ?
@@Litehamer I’d just say the UI is idiosyncratic and needs a little time to learn. Everything you need is there; it just needs a bit of exploration. With TH-cam etc you’ll have everything you need to fill in the gaps. The upside is the degree of flexibility.
for pure notetaking you'd rather go for a dedicated device like the supernote nomad, boox is more general use as it's an andriod device. if you're already familiar with writing in the a4 size the nomad seems like a good pick.
PRO TIP: Watch this at 1.5 playback speed. I just ordered the BOOX GO 10.3 and really appreciate this review. I made a great choice!
The calmness was also a vibe, just sat through it 10/10 would do it again.
I appreciated what you said about having a second surface. I was struck when in one of Seneca's letters, he advocates having something to write on besides the main thing you write on or read. He said that in this way you can note thoughts that come to you, that are rabbit holes (my term) or separate, but without breaking off from the task at hand. Two-thousand years ago! What a guy.
Such an enjoyable and inspirational contribution - thank you, kind sir! I‘ve been on the fence about the Go 10.3 or the upcoming Supernote of similar size - also as somebody who does not enjoy option paralysis and having to overcome steep learning curves in order to start getting down to work. Currently using the Scribe. Your words are helping me understand that the Go 10.3 might be the best choice for me after all, and that I might just need to deal with the learning curve.
Such an enjoyable and inspirational contribution - thank you, kind sir! I‘ve been on the fence about the Go 10.3 or the upcoming Supernote of similar size - also as somebody who does not enjoy option paralysis and having to overcome steep learning curves in order to start getting down to work. Currently using the Scribe. Your words are helping me understand that the Go 10.3 might be the best choice for me after all, and that I might just need to deal with the learning curve. That said, Boox just published a video on some new products, including a DIN A4-sized (i.e. even larger) Note Max. Very curious to know more about that, as in whether it‘s similar to the 10.03, but just larger, or whether they are paring it down to be more similar to the Supernote or Remarkable in terms of notetaking focus.
I like that you can use the Boox reader's e-ink screen as an additional monitor because it's an Android. A treat for the eyes
AFAICT, Boox is the only one out of all of these manufacturers that lets non-artistically-inclined people like myself include generated shapes, and the only one that lets you include text in arbitrary places together with drawn content. it's a very strange omission especially from vendors like Ratta where they focus the Supernote so heavily on high-quality note generation, but here we are.
I've been similarly enamored with my smaller Boox tablet I got a few years ago. It's slim-ness, light-ness, simplicity, and even its subtle limitations while being the size of a paper notepad feels inspiring. Like some sort of futuristic "datapad" you'd have found in a sci-fi novel years ago, now made great & real. :)
Absolutely. Does remind me of the PADDs on Picard’s desk, as well as a notepad.
Hi, have you tried connecting a keyboard and typing on it? I was wondering if the lag isn't too much, as I think this would be perfect for me if I can also use a keyboard with it. Thank you!
I love your background. I have this colour wall and guitar :)
@@funnybugsbunny Good taste all round!
I am student and looking at the boox go 10.3 for focused academic reading and note taking. I am wondering how it will perform when jumping from one reading to another for refrencing or from notebook to document during classroom notetaking. Also will the recording feature be useful for capturing lectures, I mean to ask about the quality of the sound recording and how get are the microphone in this device.
Lastly, even though it looks amazing in this slim and thin design, how sturdy is it. Considering I will be carrying it around in my backpack and i tend to push hard on the surface while writing, will it sustain any damage to screen. Because if it's too fragile then it won't be suitable for me. In this regard, I will greatly value your take on the sturdiness of this device because you are a designer and wood worker. It will determine how sustainable is it for long term use
I’d always advise trying an e-ink device first. The screen refresh rate is much, much lower than conventional screens, and you won’t be flipping rapidly between apps. Having said that, the reader app supports tabs for different documents, and you can split the screen to have a notepad and a document open side by side.
For recording, you’re always best to put a microphone near or on the lecturer; the mics on devices are very small and have localised pickup. In the worst case, get a USB directional mic, and sit in the front row.
Regarding sturdiness, I’d take care. E-paper devices almost always have a glass layer which is susceptible to shear or impact forces. They should be treated with respect, and then should withstand sensible usage. I’d recommend a sleeve or cover of some kind for when they’re going into your bag.
@@MattGemmellAuthor thank you so much. that helps a lot. I have a question about what you said regarding the multiple tabs in the reader app. Does it means that I can have multiple readings there at the same and can hop between them where i last left without the need to go back to library and open a new one after closing the last one? If this is the case then it fits my need because my use case is multiple readings along the notepad. Don't need other apps or ultrafast refresh rates, because I think it's inherently what e ink is not made for. Usually it's labled a limitation that must be surpassed like with the BSR thing, but for it is the essence or beauty of eink to be slow and focused and intentional. We have other devices all around us to be rash us.
Also it's a given that I will be very sensitive with this device considering I am putting my months of saving into it. But I was just comparing it with the aluminum body boox note airs and considering whether it might me extra fragile. I am from pakistan, there is no way to test for me here, and the added fact I have to arrange for an acquaintance to bring it from england coupled with the high price i am paying. I want to be extra careful before making the decision
Also this will be the first and only e ink device i will be going to have for around 2 years without any chance for replacing because of the reasons i already highlighted. I get really surprized when people are saying have this device for this purpose and that for that... honestly I only got introduced into eink when I tried to move up from paper to digital note taking anf searched for that. Because I couldn't just rely on paper in my university, I was just lagging behind my peers who had ipads or were digitally savy with onenote etc. For me e ink was an ideal comprise between the digital accessibility and preservation along with the analog writing experience. And I tried a borrowed kindle from library and it was just amazing for me.
I don't understand why i am rambling on and on but I have watched countless vedios on these devices. But listening to you it just felts I could ask you about my particular usecase. Which is very simply the need to have a good reader where i can annotate my academic readings and a decent note taker, to last me a long while without need to replace. Or any diminishment in quality over time
@@muhammadibrahim8312 I think you’ll be fine with the Go 10.3. The edges around the case are still aluminium, by the way. And yes, you can have multiple documents open in the reader app in tabs, and switch between them, while preserving your place in each one!
@@muhammadibrahim8312 Sounds like an e-ink device would be ideal for you then. 🙂
Wow, that was kind of a ASMR for me.
@@ivysdanillo Maybe the accent? 😁🏴
Excellent insights presented in a clear, candid manner. Thank you!. I read that the ceramic-tipped stylus from the Supernote series should not be used on the Boox as it might damage the screen. Those claims are clearly not verified by your own experience it seems. Thanks for the insights.
Thank you! I haven’t used a ceramic tip on these devices, and I’d advise caution if you’ve heard about problems. The underlying technology is of course compatible, but it may well be that the high hardness of ceramic wouldn’t interact well with certain screen surfaces.
@@MattGemmellAuthor true, although with a "self healing" screen protector on like the one I put on my Tab Mini C the experience with the Supernote ceramic pen is pretty nice.
Thank you for the video. I'm interested to know how well the BooxGo copes with calenders and to-do notes - my main interest is in having a notebook that syncs so I always have my notes with me (particularly because I forget my pad when switching between home and office working) - Where do synced notes sit if you want to reach them from a different device? I'm hoping it would also help me get organised and therefore also make Outlook and/or Google calendars on the go - have you tried these functions please?
Hi! Since it’s an Android device and has the Google Play Store, you can put Outlook and other MS Office apps on it, and you can also use Google Docs, calendars, etc. OneNote works too. Regarding your notes, they sync to Onyx’s cloud (the makers of Boox devices), and you can also set them to sync to third-party services like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. You can also read your notes at any time via the web.
Enjoyed your video, would be interested in how you think it compares to the note air you mentioned? Do you miss the backlight?
Thanks! I never actually used the front light on my Note Air 3, so I haven’t missed it on the Go. It’s worth mentioning that I don’t read novels on the Boox devices; I have a Kindle Oasis for that, and do use the front light on it if it’s late at night and I only have my bedside lamp on.
Great review. Anyone know if the Boox 10.3 Go lets you insert lengthy notes in a book as you read through it? I heard the Remarkable lets you insert a full page of your own notes after each page of a book. I incline towards the Boox overall, but it would be a clincher if it could do this, or something similar.
Thanks! For reflowable formats like epub, you can add annotations either directly as handwriting, or in a pop-up window with as much text as you might like. You can also open a Split View with a notes document which is associated with each book/document. For fixed formats like PDF, you can insert a full blank page after each page of the document like on the Remarkable, and write on those pages.
Yes, so basically, with boox, you can change everything from an epub file, and to some extent, even PDFs. I have a Boox Tab Ultra, which is better than this in the tech side, but then it loses out in connection, the paper feel, the lightness and simplicity when you want. One thing I don't like about boox and love about Rata is the updates. I am stuck with android 11 with an equipment that has little more than an year, and when I bought it was the best there was. That was really shitty from Boox, for me, but everything else, it's amazing. Yes, it's complex and not super intuitive to costumize, but once it's done, super!
@@luisfilipelopes2900Do you mean the OS cannot ever be updated, so is frozen at whatever it is at when purchased?
@cward2986 I'm not saying it is, I'm saying mine is android 11, they have now released the 13, and I'm still at eleven in what used to be their flagship. Take that info as you want, but my hopes aren't up in this regard. Why, beats me. The tab ultra c pro is almost identical to my tab ultra c
Where do you try these? Presumably you haven't bought them or been given them all like the pro-reviewers. I'd love one, but have never seen them anyway I can try them out.
@@fiction8909 I’m not aware of places to try out e-ink tablets, but I’d love to visit one. I bought the devices.
would love to buy this new device, but 1 thing it's missing is the frontlight. perfect size and the price is not too high. however I want to be able to use it before bed, and at lunchtime at work (sometimes my colleagues turn off the light to sleep at lunchtime)
You can just buy a Led desk lamp
@@solidstatexx yeah that would be the solution, but your reading position would be limited. what I mean before bed is that I want to read as I'm lying on the bed, reading fiction novel before falling asleep. well I bought the device anyway. it's great but at night or indoor you'll need a decent lighting for optimum reading. and I should mention the ghosting is worse than I thought. I own nova 2 before and I think the ghosting experience is almost the same, except maybe fps for the highest speed is smoother.
Jus two words in reply - macular degeneration.
I take long form notes every day in A4 note pads.
As such I have different notebooks in different bags and at work and home . As a result I often don’t have the right note book to hand or can’t remember where I put what.
I’m thinking about e ink, but so many reviewers talk about the lack of front light . I was after the larger supernote but it’s not available. I looked at the Boox note air 3 black and white, but can’t get hold of one anywhere. I don’t really need the colour and I note that the colour needs charging a great deal more.
The go is a contender based on your review . Many say that the UI is too difficult. Have you found that to be the case ?
@@Litehamer I’d just say the UI is idiosyncratic and needs a little time to learn. Everything you need is there; it just needs a bit of exploration. With TH-cam etc you’ll have everything you need to fill in the gaps. The upside is the degree of flexibility.
for pure notetaking you'd rather go for a dedicated device like the supernote nomad, boox is more general use as it's an andriod device. if you're already familiar with writing in the a4 size the nomad seems like a good pick.
Please translate this video to Arabic please