I think that an e-ink Pc may not be a good idea with the current state of windows, that is so energy unefficient that the device will need a BIG battery to be used simmilarly as the tablet version (for me, that's one of the best features of these devices). As for the trackpad, I think that is one of the old ones that used to have the click only at the bottom, I got used to that when I was younger, I used to click with my thumb and move the mouse with the other fingers. I would like to see a version of Android that allows the user to do things as in Windows, such as full software features. Great video! I'm liking the way e-ink devices are evolving :D
since so many of the apps are nowadays either available online or on android apps, I barely see the point of windows. If you need some funky proprietary software, you probably also need a real computer too and for the eink joy could do with an eink screen 🤷
Suggestions: 1. Test it for us with Zettelkasten apps like Notion, Lattics or Obsidian fed from Boox reader or Readwise. I want to know it'll handle the whole reading, note-taking & 3rd brain data organizing/manipulation workflow. Supernote handles parts 1 & 2 (reading, annotating) but can't host the third part. 2. I'd like to see a keyboard-less power-extender case, providing protection & doubling battery life. 3. They need to iron out the bugs/refine the features in the trackpad. It's close but not quite right.
They should make a desktop environment for Linux operating systems. Especially Linux Mint which is staying so simple to use while being so stable and efficient. Releasing this on a device similar to the tab x with an ultra esk keyboard would be game changing. I would also personally love for them to disable the tab ultra c pro’s keyboard when it wraps behind the device to prevent keys from being pressed and the touchpad being swiped when drawing. That said Android was a great choice for an OS to start off in the tablet space with no keyboard. I would just love to see them stay more up to date on the Android versions. We should be able to update our older devices to newer Android versions as well. Most of all though I’d love to see them open source all their software properly so the community can help develop these and make it into many different versions for their devices
as a ultra c user, I wish they could make a 13inch color eink device like this. it will be a very good combo with mini C. mini c is very portable for mobile phone type of useage, browering web , take to bedroom before sleep, listen to audio book and a very ipad mini type of useage. plus, i won't worried like before about my kid watching peppa pig with the servieable color eink screen.
the trackpad is faster in the browser because the refresh mode is different compared to the system menu. ultrafast would be the most ideal refresh mode for trackpad use
Thank you for the comparison. My primary use case is both handwriting and typing. Hence I want a mix of the Tab Ultra Pro and the Note 3. As much as I want a pen-to-paper feel, I also want a keyboard folio. So I guess I have 3 options - 1. Wait for Boox to make the mix device. 2. Buy Tab Ultra Pro, apply pen-to-paper screen cover 3. Buy Note Air 3, buy Bluetooth aftermarket keyboard folio (don't know if one exists) And wait, I want a b/w version. Until all this is met, I will continue using my Microsoft Surface Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra :(
hi there.,i bought a bellmount paper like screen protector for ipad 11 and cut it to fit tab ultra c , it is great. only cost me 20 Australian dollars. i know there is a uk made paper like screen protector for ultra C, i just really cannot convict myself to spend nearly 100 AUD On a screen protector .
Nice thorough review, good sound. I think you should use a little more discretion and cut out the slow parts (unwrapping plastic, waiting for things to load etc) or maybe speed up those parts. Just personal taste but I prefer a bit faster pacing in my product reviews. Also if its possible to screen capture on the devices (maybe output capture?) while you're using them it would be great to not rely only on your 1 camera angle and have the screen capture showing real-time use on 1 side while you're handling the device. Animation overlays on your key points would make it a more memorable and immersive review. When cutting back to your face I would either go dead center angle or go off to 1 side of the screen (check out rule of 3rds). Best of luck growing the channel.
From what I have seen, you can adjust the mouse to become more responsive. Though I am waiting for an updated 13.3 inch reader. My primary use case is reading and marking up PDFs so I need the full A4 size. I was looking forward to a new color Quaderno but that apparently got canceled. Hopefully there is something good on the horizon.
Great video! Thanks for covering most of the aspects between the devices :) I'm still waiting on my review device to arrive, since Norwegian post service has decided that since Wednesday it was already weekend of them and that they'll maybe bother to deliver it next week, if they can be bothered that is :D
In my humble opinion, the Tab Ultra C Pro is the wrong way to go. If I want something PC-like that is handy and light, I grab a 13" MacBook Air, which is very versatile. For reading and note-taking, I would go with the Note Air 3 C (battery life should be optimized here - compared to a Note 3 - maybe a slightly larger battery). The Tab Ultra C Pro is too expensive for its limited capabilities, especially compared to the Note Air 3 C. I think the Note Air 3 C is the way to go, here Boox should work on the details to further improve the nice device.
What is the reading experience ultra c pro vs air 3 c? I see there is color difference between this two, is this going to make the difference? Thank you.
That style of trackpad, has a “diving board “ mechanism where the top is a hinge and the bottom are the actual buttons. Some cheaper laptops tend to use this type
Let's face it, if you purchased a laptop with that quality keyboard and trackpad and the cursor jumping all over the place, you'd return it under warranty, surely we are nearing the point when PC manufacturers are going to offer us an e-ink screen option, I hope so as one immediate benefit would be the mass production of e-ink screens bringing down the price.
Don’t assume battery consumption is the same. Different processors and a far better gpu on tucp may consume more power. If you have the device, why not test it?
I'm a TUC user. The constant iteration didn't fall well with me. I ordered a Supernote and I'll be trying it out for a couple weeks. If I find it as good as others say, I'm selling my TUC.
If the e ink screen technology takes a massive leap forwards, and yes, I know thats a big if... I can see many PC/Mac manufacturers offering us *real PC power with an e-ink screen option,* but if its left to our current e-ink manufacturers, I guess we'd all bet on Boox getting anywhere near that reality first. Really, you'd think Lenovo would be well suited for prime position if they got their act together, but with their latest attempt, thats not looking very likely.
I bought one Boox Ultra Tab C Pro; but the battery just last 11hrs with wifi on and 2 apps running. I asked for a return at day 15. The customer service tried many things to deny the request. I had to file a purchase dispute with my credit company. The battery is bad; it does not support normal operation.
Would really love for Boox to stay more up to date with the new android versions at the least. Would really love it though if they made their own Debian Linux Distribution, or just a Desktop Environment at least I could really see that catching on with Homelab and IT enthusiasts. Especially if it were to work on an ARM cpu to continue with the energy efficiency of E ink screens. I feel they are really on to something though
Glitches with my Ultra C Pro: Tablet getting frozen VERY often. I bought an adapter from usb c to hdmi because i am a teacher and need to project. Tried 3 different tvs and 2 projectors. Not able to project in any of them via HDMI Screencast option: SUPER DELAYED more than 10 seconds. That is why I prefer HDMI, no need to rely on wifi or bluetooth and those delays Sometimes my stylus is 1 inch away from the tablet and draws are happening so it is impossible to do sketches or the apps are moving around but i am just trying to draw. The nib of the stylus was damaged I have 2 kids so I tried to buy a case and a screen protector. The only decent case because the one from Boox is sold out and there is no black option, is very disappointing. Not a good case. and the screen protector I bought made the tablet lose sensibility when using gestures or my fingers I need to deactivate the NeoBrowser completely and just use Chrome. Impossible. Every ebook with links will take me to the Neobrowser and copy pasting a link is a long, almost impossible time consuming, duty. Not practical at all. Probably is better to have a regular tablet for me and find a way to lower the lights for my tired eyes, Or instead of a super e reader, just a regular e reader, without fancy things like this one and then a computer or tablet. But I was looking to have one device only and this one looked like the right option. unfortunately it is not. Support from Boox is none. A couple of emails and nothing back.
can you do a more detailed deeper dive on the Note Air 3 C. I just got it and I also have the remarkable 2. My use case is note-taking-driven. But I'm struggling with which to prefer... If you have videos already please link them here as well thanks.
hello! I'm really in doubt between the RM2 and the note airc 3 C. My idea is to replace my college notebooks. I need to read and write in PDF and attach some photos I took of the whiteboard. I don't know if the NA3C has the same feeling of writing on paper that the RM2 does, this feeling is important to me. What would you advise me?
@@marcelomonteirocarvalho5137 I also carefully compared the gap between the two before buying. RM2 has almost no hardware updates. Its device is old and the resolution cannot reach 300ppi. It has no front light and cannot support tf card and Bluetooth. . Another very inconvenient thing is that RM2 is a Linux system and it is almost difficult to install the tools and software you want to use on it. If you are only worried about writing problems, I think you can try Note air 3c. Its promotion focuses on the color screen, so many people ignore that its writing experience is also first-class, and you almost don’t feel it. to any delays.
D Fredericks, Marchelo: can either of you comment on whether you can take notes as annotations for highlighted text in documents, then export your notes with the associated text as individual notes but a complete file (all the notes for a chapter, or an entire medical article) WITH bibliographic references in the notes indicating where in the document they occur, supporting attribution later in any work we write based on the notes? I want a string of notes as tab/comma delimited file or something similar, so I can read them into other software with a robust outliner for organization & writing support. Reading between the lines it seems like Boox can do some of that. Not sure it'll add bibliographic data, 'though I can do that manually with the annotation if required. But it sounds like Boox doesn't export in a format that anything else can read; it's a proprietary format. Is that true?
@@jamesthompson7282 The boox is a cool product but it is proprietary driven. battery hungry. I've switched to the supernote (even though it is small (7.8). I use the boox as a home device e reader. . Th note air 3c sucks on battery life and goofy big.
Bought a Tab Ultra C Pro and a Note Air 3 C to compare. I'm very confused because the Tab Ultra C Pro has a much faster processor but none of the apps seem much faster. It SEEMS like a few refreshes happen faster but I think it could be placebo effect. I forced three uninterested members of my family to use the kindle, onenote, and nytimes apps on both devices. no one could tell the difference. The processor was the main reason I thought I'd want the Ultra C pro. It's a couple generations newer (Snapdragon 855 vs 6-something on the Note Air 3 C). But if I can't tell a difference, what's the point? I don't need a keyboard and the Note Air 3 C is thinner, a little lighter, and has a much better writing experience.
Great review as always. I have a dumb question though, my main use case for either of these devices is to take math notes with all its associated symbols and render it as a pdf or latex. Does anyone know if this is possible?
Can you fold keyboard behind the screen so you can hand write notes or does it still register key presses like that? Meaning do I need to take it out of the keyboard case to use for hand written notes.
Really nervous about the strength of the device with no good cases on the market for it and so many reviews saying yhe screen shatters. Im on the go 24/7 do ylu think it could hold up?
Could you please check if the new air c and ultra c pro will output to tvs or monitors through usb c? It would be really nice for me to use that function at work for me... If it can, I'm likely getting the air c and just use a separate keyboard.
@@BrandonKBoswell that would be so awesome! I'm actually going to be using a usb c hub with an hdmi port as well. I would really love to make a kaleido pad my workhorse so I can save my eyeballs from managing a kindergarten curriculum.
Why their website is so confusing - does note air 3c support same keyboard case which they show in ultra 3c pro - in images for ultra 3c pro they show keyboard case but also show that as an accessory as well
From my understanding, the keyboard cases are directed towards the tabs only. The tab ultra/tab ultra c has a separate keyboard than the tab ultra c pro. I think wtv tab u have needs to go w that certain keyboard. The keyboard case is technically an accessory since you can just get a regular case or wtv. They show the keyboard probably so you know about ut and that it’s for that certain device.
Probably because they have no ecosystem around their devices from which to make money? So their only source of income is selling devices. But I agree that they are really overdoing it. I like innovation like the next guy, but with Onyx it's becoming a problem to ever decide on buying any of their devices, knowing that a better one will probably be released in a few months.
A firmware update is need in Boox note taking app : 1. The ability to create table of contents like in superonte a5x and a6x 2. link star should be like supernote do you could know it is registered.
@@BrandonKBoswell I am still using pen and paper :) but I am looking into options to digitize my note taking and mind mapping. I use multiple colors for highlighting. Besides this, I am fascinated by the idea of having centralized archive of notes and a search engine that searches through my handwriting.
@@stefanohiwat2680 I don't think you can change the paper size on the Boox devices which makes it difficult to mind map with their stock apps. Goodnotes 5 on the iPad allows custom paper sizes to create a big canvas for mind maps
Interesting video. I think for an eink PC, they need a more PC like Operating System. Android is not really built for PCs. Next option would be ChromeOS. Could also try Windows. For the Box Tab Ultra C Pro, they need a better keyboard case design that is closer to a laptop.. Maybe a Magic Keyboard style approach. Helps with portability
Nope, its not a PC, its just for media consumption. Even the top ipad or android tab are no where bear the productivity of Surface Pro or Macbook. So would rather say its a eye friendly tablet replacement.
My use case is something to replace my phone for reading news and social media in the evening, to reduce strain on eyes from LCD screen. Which one is for me? 🤔 Thank you!
If you want to comapre the Ultra C with the Ultra C Pro: You pay 50$ more for: 1Ghz CPU more, 2Gb Ram more, 30g lighter, 0.1mm thinner and Android 12 instead of 11. On paper totally worth it in my eyes. However: you actually loose quite a bit of battery-power: 4600mAh instead of 6300mAh. The new cpu may help with that...however android12 with it's apps probably not. I'd exspect less work time before recharging...dunno if that's worth the 0,1mm and 30g you save in dimension. The older Ultra C might become cheaper over time and actually might be a better deal for you with the better battery and only minor differences in hardware. The jump between the new and the old Note was obvs. bigger with colour screen etc.
that delay just turns me off. I like TLC's approach better, a hybrid between lcd and paperink called NXTPAPER. its not the same as looking at a paperink, but it is significantly better one the eyes compared to traditional LCD. but without any of the delay that a paperink has. Id like to see you review that device at some point, either tcl nxtpaper 11 or the 12 pro.
the fastest refresh rate for the tab ultra line is 32hz, i was bit unsure if it will work for me befre I bought it. i change my laptop monitor to refresh at 30hz, after few hours, it works ok for me. so, if you really can't sure, give it a try. i think what lag it behind is the andriod system is not mouse friendly as ipad os .
That trackpad is a deal killer: no haptic feedback, massive lag on use so ZERO precision. Either there's friction in connection with the keyboard cover, or the internal CPU just isn't capable of keeping up with... a trackpad??? Slower on the Android homescreen than in the apps. That suggests there's a software issue. And inconsistency bottom to top half of the mousepad points to a different hardware issue with the mousepad. The fact this got past R&D then production QC: that points to a problem with manufacturing. I'd like to see Brandon test an external Bluetooth mouse, see if it suffers the same lag. "You could probably get away with this..." - Yeah, NO. Not for the price - same as a decent Windows laptop. Sure they've got some internal custom software, and yes they've designed for a smaller market. But the screen is actually cheaper than on the standard equivalent Windows laptop (Lenovo, Dell or Acer...). Nice you get Android 12 with the new one. Another deal-breaker: I want to know I'll get software updates. Why no updates? In today's security environment security updates AND base OS upgrades are an absolute MUST. j"Battery life is the thing to watch out for on these devices..." OK. So what the hell IS battery life? THere's a lot of room for an updated more complete review of the Ultra C Pro. That said, the comparison between all three devices was helpful. Thanks.
Boox suggesting the TUC (pro) is a 'PC' is nearly laughable. Compared to a Microsoft Surface or Samsung Tab S7/8/9 series, these e-ink devices are 'stone age' in performance and overall functionality. In my view, e-ink is best used for reading and writing. In that use case scenario, they are excellent, but even then, the lack of windowing can be cumbersome. Split screen is somewhat usable, but even that is wrought with technical problems.
it is a ok tablet, can do most other tablet can do but at half of the screen refresh rate. maximum 32hz. i can use my ultra C to do most what i need on a PC but need bit patience . I gain my patience from a dry eye. .. thanks for lenovo's OLED screen. 😅
Compared to the Remarkable keyboard case the Boox designs leave me ...meh. It isn't that it is bad it is just not as elegant a solution because I cant leave the tablet section connected and simply slide the screen over the keyboard to use it as a tablet alone. Remarkable has fallen behind in the functions category and the paywall is galling but their designs are very nice.
Bought Tab Ultra C Pro . Nothing is Pro about this thing. Writing experience is VERY BAD. Noteshelf 3 on Ipad is years a head ; better response , much better letancy , much better accuracy , much much better app. I use sensetivity on , 0.7 thicknes , fountain pen on the noteshelf 3 on my Ipad as a normal handwriting and the results are much more precise and easier to write and much better print results then the Boox. You tube Vlogers don't tell you the all truth. The E ink devices sucks for writing. I was a fool to buy it. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - BOTH IPAD PEN ON NOTESHELF 3 AND E- INK DEVICE AND SEE FOR YOUSELF !!!
LOL They are NOT BOTH 499 :D 599 VS 499 for the NA3C Also I am surprised you would pick the NA3C versus the TUC; as the former battery life is horrible. Maybe you do not walk around a lot, but if you do, the NA3C is not feasible for many people that actually work away from a plug; and the extra hassle to have a keyboard to carry around, if you need one, is also something to consider. I prefer the format of the NA3C all day, as the TUC is ugly at best; but the NA3C range is about half of the TUC... which is already pretty bad compared to the NA2+, so you lose a lot in terms of battery life, and people buy eink devices also to go on for weeks without recharge the device.
You are correct. Sorry about that. My use case is largely around the house, but the NA3C should still have all day battery life for most (if not all people). The battery life definitely isn’t good by e-ink standards, but should work as long as you remember to charge it.
@@BrandonKBoswell Yeah, if you consider the 100 dollars less on the price tag and are willing to take the hit on the battery (so take with you an extra power bank); then you are compensating for the downsides of it. It all depends from user cases in the end; although I do not understand why they couldn't make a device with the ability to do some better power saving; can't believe that there is no way to turn off extra features when not in use, like the super refresh and the GPU, if all you want is to just take notes and save battery life
What would I like to see in an e-Ink PC? In an e-Ink PC Review? YOU ASKED, Brandon. 1) You're left-handed, so like me must surely have noticed that palm rejection on devices can work fine Right-handed but not-so-much for left. For instance, the handwriting functionality of OneNote on my Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 is almost useable, right-handed. NO WAY is it when used with the stylus in my LEFT hand. Go figure. On a Lenovo Laptop, OneNote displays the same dysfunctional profile. But more so: a Windows hybrid with touch-screen can in theory act the same as an Android tablet, but in practice, Windows sucks as a tablet operating system. So as a Lefty, please COMMENT on palm rejection and how functional handwriting actually IS on these things. Kit & Vaja do good overview reviews but they don't get this. 2) You ALL seem to do video-assisted show-&-tell that repeats the info we can get from manufacturers' spec sheets & web sites. You add some personal opinion based on what's important to you. That IS useful, but frankly pretty lame. I see lots of feedback in Reddit streams that mirror my own experience: we can't tell whether - in REAL USE - these things are at all functional! Here's an example use case: Zettelkasten workflow. Zettelkasten (for other readers' benefit - I assume you know this) is a German name for a very old & incredibly effective system for writing articles & books. Originally - as an analogue system - it used recipe cards (3x5 or 2x4) to capture quick atomic notes from read documents. Each card captures some text from the document (which you have to hand-write of course), some annotation (your take on the author's content), a headline or tag, and bibliographic reference (name of source; where in the source) so attribution can be provided later. As your research progresses you guide the process by reference to your thesis statement for the work in progress. You create an outline based on that, sort cards into decks for each section in your outline, shuffle repeatedly & move items around to create an organized flow to your content. When the research process is done, you have a Thesis Statement, an Outline (your table of contents), and a deck of cards sorted into different stacks for each section of the outline. I would do the re-organizing & shuffling on my dorm bed or floor. Flip over a card, start typing. Keep flipping & typing. End result: a magnificently organized document or book that is organized, flows, is easy to digest as a reader. Over time you keep these card decks, add new cards with every project but over time you have a Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS) of card decks. It's possible to recreate this system in software but capable software apps to do it were VERY hard to find. Both EccoPro & InfoQube offer robust outlining (1 and 2-pane outliners - that's unique), and InfoQube builds on EccoPro's functionality by offering better data management in volume. Build & write documents in EccoPro, but it's unstable if you start building that PKMS over the years. Notion & Obsidian & Lattics are apps designed to address this workflow slightly differently: they handle data volumes well, but lack a robust outliner. Instead they offer graph view, which is great for brainstorming & drawing connections, but lousy for organizing an actual workflow for writing. None of these apps' functions are offered in the proprietary software provided by Boox, or by Supernote or reMarkable, for that matter. All these devices are note-taking replacements for paper; they also function as e-Readers. Another reason for using an external device for organizing/writing: capable as they are, Boox devices are NOT state-of-the-art hardware, have limited RAM. As pointed out below by @flavioortolano in his/her comment, they can't open more than one or two documents at a time due to RAM limitations. The data manipulation part of my workflow - using an outliner or graph view in Lattics or Obsidian, etc. - is RAM-intensive, RAM-bound. I can predict it'll CRAWL on a Boox, or simply fail for large amounts of data. So we have to be able to export those atomic notes out of Boox and into something else, on Android, Apple or Windows. WE NEED THE WORKFLOW. WE NEED TO KNOW e-INK DEVICES SUPPORT THE WORKFLOW. So: 1) can we read PDFs & EPUB docs on a given device (esp. Boox since that's the one I think is likeliest to support all this). 2) Can we hightlight text on a document, annotate with a note, and have the note automatically document WHERE in the document it occurs? 3) Can we export our annotated hightlighted text with notes as separate items, with bibliographic tags to support later attribution? 4) Can we then READ & USE those notes with associated captured text snippets in external software on Android & PC or Apple? Boox offers an Android device with stock Android 12, so I know it'll support some of the application software referenced. I prefer Windows for writing with InfoCube & EccoPro, but that's me. Others will prefer Microsoft Word or Scrivener for lengthy documents, or something else on their Apple laptops or iPads. PLEASE test the whole workflow & review it to demonstrate it ALL works AS A WORKFLOW. I've watched many TH-cam reviews of e-Ink devices. Have not yet seen a review that demonstrates a functional workflow, with very limited exceptions. Reddit is full of complaints from people who bought an e-Ink device & found it doesn't provide functional support for THEIR use-case. I've provided mine. It's a pretty popular use-case, one that is currently seeing widespread adoption & user demand. PLEASE could you demonstrate such a workflow? For outline manipulation you can just use OneNote or Microsoft Word - both offer an outline mode that isn't very robust, but is more than sufficient to demonstrate whether export to a Zettelkasten app will work. THANK YOU. I look forward to following your reviews - especially the one requested. All the best!
Hi Brandon. I want to ask you advide. I have the NA3C for less than a month and I love it. However as I need to have 2 to 3 very large college ebooks opened plus the note writing app, I found the device gets quite slow and sluggish. I used the cpu-z app to understand how much ram it was using with those apps and e-books loaded in memory and out of the 4gb I had only 0.8gb left of available ram; so me not being an expert in hardware/system performance, I inferred low ram being the main issue for the slowness. Hence, I am willing to return my na3c and get the tab ultra c pro assuming the performance would improve for my use case by having the extra 2gb ram and slight faster processor. Here is my question: how bad is it to take notes on the TUC pro on a flat surface without a case? I know it sounds crazy but I must use the device without a case/cover (medical/physical limiation reasons). But having read about the wobbling created by the camera bump, I wonder how bad this really is? Can you simply get used to taking notes with the wobbling or is it just too annoying and distracting, cumbersome to the point where the only alternative is to have a cover? Can the wobbling be overcome by simply getting used to it or another workaround, or is the design makes writing on a flat surface simply impractical? My iPad has a camera and it’s about +-2.5mm high and it’s not all that bad to write on it, but TUC pro camera bump looks more like 5-6mm?? I was hoping you could provide your take on this since in more detail. You did mention briefly about the wobbling in one of your videos, but didn't go into much detail, and I was hoping you could give me your advice as to whether the camera bump is really a deal-breaker for those wanting to use it without a case/cover. I would appreciate your honest perspective and insight on this as it would help me make an educated decision. Thanks for the great work and amazing content produced.
So long as the device stays in its case, no problem: no wobble. It adds a little thickness to the device, lifting your hand well off the table, but it isn't much different, I imagine, to using a writing pad in a portfolio. And I doubt you'd want to take notes at school, for instance, or in a business setting, taking the Boox in & out of its case: that's just tempting fate. We've all dropped our phones; mine never leaves its case. A much bigger issue is whether handwriting notes is actually functional. All the reviewers of these devices on TH-cam illustrate writing by drawing a few lines, perhaps a triangle (whee!) or even a few words. Whup-di-doo. I care about how functional the damn thing is for extended note-taking: 1) Is handwriting recognition actually pretty good (nothing's perfect, but as with OCR, 95% good isn't quite functional: you spend too much time correcting mistakes on the fly); 2) Is handwriting insert into text stable? My Android smartphone & Windows hybrid (touchscreen) laptop both support OneNote, which has better-than-average handwriting recognition & conversion to text. But on both the text gets inserted at the end of the current passage in progress (what I want) or randomly jumps about inserting words all over the place within existing text. That's not useable. 3) Is palm recognition rock-solid? I'm a lefty: I find the stylus works pretty well with great palm rejection if I 'write' (badly) with my right hand. Transfer the stylus to my left hand & everything blows up: palm rejection is abysmal. Go figure.
The home screen on the Tab Ultra C Pro looks more organized. Notes, Library in separate smaller windows. Apps below. Is this unique to the Pro series or is this configurable in the NA3C?
that doesn't look like a keyboard, looks like a baby keyboard?! What is the size factor compared to a full sized keyboard? For someone who types a lot this matters. Can you connect this to a full sized BT keyboard? If so, then why should it matter at all that it comes with a keyboard cover?!?
PS by the way I was not able to find this information on the boox website either. Nor the actual size of the screen. (they only give the diagonal but not the ratio or the L and H)
By eyeball the keys look about 10% smaller than on my Macbook. Yes, it definitely matters. You can use an external keyboard, bluetooth or USB and that would be my recommended method. Both this and the NA3C support this.
Boox accessories are of a very basic quality, my Ultra keyboard has an important issue with most keys not registering or getting somewhat stuck, and I use it not too often (so, not from wear or dust)
If by "true PC" you mean Windows PC, then... maybe? Microsoft has tried to conquer the ARM market for many years now (remember Windows RT?), but failed due to their lukewarm efforts, the loss of legacy apps (yes, I still use programs from twenty years ago; dictionaries, mostly), and the poor performance of ARM chips. Buuut the Snapdragon X Elite PC chipset, though not as great as Qualcomm makes it to be, should solve the "poor performance" roadblock. After that, it'll depend on Microsoft's efforts, both with regard to the ARM version of Windows 12 and with regard to the incentives they'll be willing to offer developers and manufacturers. I remember when Microsoft updated Office for iPhone before Office for Windows Phone -- if even Microsoft didn't believe in their own platform, why should anyone else? When companies see how ephemeral Microsoft products can be, they can be weary of investing in them. Lenovo was burned with Windows 10X, for instance.
To me if you want an eink PC you want to get a Microsoft Surface and want to put an eink screen on it; that is the only thing needed. You need to run Windows or a version of windows optimized for eink display, so you can leverage the pen for apps that normally use touch. This is the biggest limit of almost every eink tablet that try to use Android. As Microsoft write their own OS, they could do that; but these small companies making eink devices will never be able to make partnership with something like Google or Microsoft to optimize their OS for eink, so apps can run at decent speed, so they are forced to add stuff like extra GPU just to force refresh, like the Boox devices do (and then most apps looks bad because the pen has delay no matter how many GPU you put in it, unless you use their first party apps). There is no workaround; for joking about serious work, you can use these toys for email and presentations; if this is your "work" then you are good to go with this and call it a PC; but if you are a professional that need to run more applications than a browser, a mail client and a productivity suite, these are toys, not PC, and you need a real machine that run something like Linux or Windows.
I have e-ink monitor and I connect it with my windows pc. I have zero problems to use it as a normal monitor. Ok its black and white but after using it more than one month its totally fine. I very like it. I dont see huge problems to make laptop!
@@baltgames1 The problem is exactly there... You have a monitor :) You are using your computer exactly like you use it normally, but you have an eink display. That means beside the black and white, you use a mouse and keyboard, so your main interface is the same as usual, and beside the fact that eink refresh rate won't be as good as a LCD screen due to the tech used, your workflow is basically the same as a standard computer. It is way different from getting an e-note device and use it as daily driver like you do with your computer, because you use a pen and touch screen. While Android tablets can benefit from being able to use external devices like touch screen and mouse and keyboard; you can't do the same with an e-note device because the apps are not optimized for it. You need to convert apps to use the APIs for each of these devices because they all use different APIs to optimize their screen refresh. The result is that if you want to switch between taking notes with your pen and use these as actual tablet, like you can do with something like a Samsung tablet with DEX or with a MS Surface Pro tablet or iPad Pro, you can't do that yet. Until these companies will finally get to the point where they run on a OS that can be optimized for pen touch and eink, you will get sluggish results. And if I need to hook up a keyboard and mouse to a tablet to get a worst experience than what I get on a cheap tablet or laptop, I don't really see the point... I carry 2 devices and use each one for what they are best for (one for note taking, one for actual work).
What would you like to see in an e-Ink PC? Let me know below
I wanna see someone make a mod for the FrameWork laptop that gives you an E Ink display
I think that an e-ink Pc may not be a good idea with the current state of windows, that is so energy unefficient that the device will need a BIG battery to be used simmilarly as the tablet version (for me, that's one of the best features of these devices). As for the trackpad, I think that is one of the old ones that used to have the click only at the bottom, I got used to that when I was younger, I used to click with my thumb and move the mouse with the other fingers.
I would like to see a version of Android that allows the user to do things as in Windows, such as full software features.
Great video! I'm liking the way e-ink devices are evolving :D
since so many of the apps are nowadays either available online or on android apps, I barely see the point of windows. If you need some funky proprietary software, you probably also need a real computer too and for the eink joy could do with an eink screen 🤷
Suggestions:
1. Test it for us with Zettelkasten apps like Notion, Lattics or Obsidian fed from Boox reader or Readwise. I want to know it'll handle the whole reading, note-taking & 3rd brain data organizing/manipulation workflow. Supernote handles parts 1 & 2 (reading, annotating) but can't host the third part.
2. I'd like to see a keyboard-less power-extender case, providing protection & doubling battery life.
3. They need to iron out the bugs/refine the features in the trackpad. It's close but not quite right.
They should make a desktop environment for Linux operating systems. Especially Linux Mint which is staying so simple to use while being so stable and efficient. Releasing this on a device similar to the tab x with an ultra esk keyboard would be game changing.
I would also personally love for them to disable the tab ultra c pro’s keyboard when it wraps behind the device to prevent keys from being pressed and the touchpad being swiped when drawing.
That said Android was a great choice for an OS to start off in the tablet space with no keyboard. I would just love to see them stay more up to date on the Android versions. We should be able to update our older devices to newer Android versions as well.
Most of all though I’d love to see them open source all their software properly so the community can help develop these and make it into many different versions for their devices
as a ultra c user, I wish they could make a 13inch color eink device like this. it will be a very good combo with mini C. mini c is very portable for mobile phone type of useage, browering web , take to bedroom before sleep, listen to audio book and a very ipad mini type of useage. plus, i won't worried like before about my kid watching peppa pig with the servieable color eink screen.
the trackpad is faster in the browser because the refresh mode is different compared to the system menu. ultrafast would be the most ideal refresh mode for trackpad use
Can’t believe he didn’t figure that out.
Also, the trackpad is only supposed to be clickable only in the bottom section and not at the top, which he was trying to figure out.
Thank you for the comparison. My primary use case is both handwriting and typing. Hence I want a mix of the Tab Ultra Pro and the Note 3. As much as I want a pen-to-paper feel, I also want a keyboard folio. So I guess I have 3 options -
1. Wait for Boox to make the mix device.
2. Buy Tab Ultra Pro, apply pen-to-paper screen cover
3. Buy Note Air 3, buy Bluetooth aftermarket keyboard folio (don't know if one exists)
And wait, I want a b/w version. Until all this is met, I will continue using my Microsoft Surface Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra :(
hi there.,i bought a bellmount paper like screen protector for ipad 11 and cut it to fit tab ultra c , it is great. only cost me 20 Australian dollars. i know there is a uk made paper like screen protector for ultra C, i just really cannot convict myself to spend nearly 100 AUD On a screen protector .
Why not just use a bluetooth keyboard?
Nice thorough review, good sound. I think you should use a little more discretion and cut out the slow parts (unwrapping plastic, waiting for things to load etc) or maybe speed up those parts. Just personal taste but I prefer a bit faster pacing in my product reviews. Also if its possible to screen capture on the devices (maybe output capture?) while you're using them it would be great to not rely only on your 1 camera angle and have the screen capture showing real-time use on 1 side while you're handling the device. Animation overlays on your key points would make it a more memorable and immersive review. When cutting back to your face I would either go dead center angle or go off to 1 side of the screen (check out rule of 3rds). Best of luck growing the channel.
From what I have seen, you can adjust the mouse to become more responsive.
Though I am waiting for an updated 13.3 inch reader. My primary use case is reading and marking up PDFs so I need the full A4 size. I was looking forward to a new color Quaderno but that apparently got canceled. Hopefully there is something good on the horizon.
Great video! Thanks for covering most of the aspects between the devices :) I'm still waiting on my review device to arrive, since Norwegian post service has decided that since Wednesday it was already weekend of them and that they'll maybe bother to deliver it next week, if they can be bothered that is :D
it says on the site and probabaly in the manual that you have to change the refresh mode to the fastest setting for the trackpad to work correctly lol
In my humble opinion, the Tab Ultra C Pro is the wrong way to go. If I want something PC-like that is handy and light, I grab a 13" MacBook Air, which is very versatile. For reading and note-taking, I would go with the Note Air 3 C (battery life should be optimized here - compared to a Note 3 - maybe a slightly larger battery). The Tab Ultra C Pro is too expensive for its limited capabilities, especially compared to the Note Air 3 C. I think the Note Air 3 C is the way to go, here Boox should work on the details to further improve the nice device.
Good comment 👍🏻
U probably don't know how to cook it 😂 Lets start discussion MacOS vs Android and compare battery life and work under direct sun ?
@@IExSet 🤨
Thank you for your opinion! I need something for school, and with 3 kids I do not have the time or money to get something that won't meet my needs
@@IExSet Then Samsung Tab s9 ultra will be better choice
9:39 some of the best ASMR to ever reach my ears
lol, I actually pulled out 🎧 for this. ♥
The comparison is still not fair! The memory and processor of tab c matters a lot!
What is the reading experience ultra c pro vs air 3 c? I see there is color difference between this two, is this going to make the difference? Thank you.
That style of trackpad, has a “diving board “ mechanism where the top is a hinge and the bottom are the actual buttons. Some cheaper laptops tend to use this type
Let's face it, if you purchased a laptop with that quality keyboard and trackpad and the cursor jumping all over the place, you'd return it under warranty, surely we are nearing the point when PC manufacturers are going to offer us an e-ink screen option, I hope so as one immediate benefit would be the mass production of e-ink screens bringing down the price.
Don’t assume battery consumption is the same. Different processors and a far better gpu on tucp may consume more power. If you have the device, why not test it?
@@datamesh8418 Exactly why don't the reviewers come up with numbers before posting videos
Thank you so much for this honest comparison!
Glad it was helpful!
How is the color reproduction between these two? I have a Tab Mini C and a Note Air 3C, and the mini C has significantly more vivid colors
Interesting, I haven’t felt a difference between the three color Boox devices I have.
I think that’s because of the paper-like layer that covers the Note series screens. It adds texture, but it slightly diminishes clarity.
if Note Air 3C vs Ultra C (non pro) which would be a better purchase?
I'm a TUC user. The constant iteration didn't fall well with me. I ordered a Supernote and I'll be trying it out for a couple weeks. If I find it as good as others say, I'm selling my TUC.
The constant iteration will continue though, no matter what you buy. The thing that doesn't change is what is in your hands.
@@t0dd000true. But the constant iteration is worrisome. I'm concerned about future firmwarensupport with that lack of product focus.
If the e ink screen technology takes a massive leap forwards, and yes, I know thats a big if... I can see many PC/Mac manufacturers offering us *real PC power with an e-ink screen option,* but if its left to our current e-ink manufacturers, I guess we'd all bet on Boox getting anywhere near that reality first.
Really, you'd think Lenovo would be well suited for prime position if they got their act together, but with their latest attempt, thats not looking very likely.
I bought one Boox Ultra Tab C Pro; but the battery just last 11hrs with wifi on and 2 apps running. I asked for a return at day 15. The customer service tried many things to deny the request. I had to file a purchase dispute with my credit company. The battery is bad; it does not support normal operation.
Right at the beginning you called that USB cable the wrong thing. It's a usb-c to usb-a (3.0), NOT usb-b.
👍
Would really love for Boox to stay more up to date with the new android versions at the least. Would really love it though if they made their own Debian Linux Distribution, or just a Desktop Environment at least I could really see that catching on with Homelab and IT enthusiasts. Especially if it were to work on an ARM cpu to continue with the energy efficiency of E ink screens. I feel they are really on to something though
Is it possible to extend to an external display? The cursor would be perfectly normal on a traditional monitor.
Glitches with my Ultra C Pro:
Tablet getting frozen VERY often.
I bought an adapter from usb c to hdmi because i am a teacher and need to project. Tried 3 different tvs and 2 projectors. Not able to project in any of them via HDMI
Screencast option: SUPER DELAYED more than 10 seconds. That is why I prefer HDMI, no need to rely on wifi or bluetooth and those delays
Sometimes my stylus is 1 inch away from the tablet and draws are happening so it is impossible to do sketches or the apps are moving around but i am just trying to draw.
The nib of the stylus was damaged
I have 2 kids so I tried to buy a case and a screen protector. The only decent case because the one from Boox is sold out and there is no black option, is very disappointing. Not a good case. and the screen protector I bought made the tablet lose sensibility when using gestures or my fingers
I need to deactivate the NeoBrowser completely and just use Chrome. Impossible. Every ebook with links will take me to the Neobrowser and copy pasting a link is a long, almost impossible time consuming, duty. Not practical at all.
Probably is better to have a regular tablet for me and find a way to lower the lights for my tired eyes, Or instead of a super e reader, just a regular e reader, without fancy things like this one and then a computer or tablet. But I was looking to have one device only and this one looked like the right option. unfortunately it is not.
Support from Boox is none. A couple of emails and nothing back.
Trackpads usually have the buttons at the bottom, not the top. So it's interesting that you struggled with it so much...
I'm used to Macbook trackpads where you can click anywhere.
It's an interesting concept laptop /e-ink, but the lag is an issue.
I can confirm that you can improve the mouse lag by changing the eInk center settings
Nice review 👌🏻
can you do a more detailed deeper dive on the Note Air 3 C. I just got it and I also have the remarkable 2. My use case is note-taking-driven. But I'm struggling with which to prefer... If you have videos already please link them here as well thanks.
Note Air 3 C review is coming, but is going to take some time. Check out my video on making the Boox distraction free
hello! I'm really in doubt between the RM2 and the note airc 3 C. My idea is to replace my college notebooks. I need to read and write in PDF and attach some photos I took of the whiteboard. I don't know if the NA3C has the same feeling of writing on paper that the RM2 does, this feeling is important to me. What would you advise me?
@@marcelomonteirocarvalho5137
I also carefully compared the gap between the two before buying. RM2 has almost no hardware updates. Its device is old and the resolution cannot reach 300ppi. It has no front light and cannot support tf card and Bluetooth. . Another very inconvenient thing is that RM2 is a Linux system and it is almost difficult to install the tools and software you want to use on it.
If you are only worried about writing problems, I think you can try Note air 3c. Its promotion focuses on the color screen, so many people ignore that its writing experience is also first-class, and you almost don’t feel it. to any delays.
D Fredericks, Marchelo: can either of you comment on whether you can take notes as annotations for highlighted text in documents, then export your notes with the associated text as individual notes but a complete file (all the notes for a chapter, or an entire medical article) WITH bibliographic references in the notes indicating where in the document they occur, supporting attribution later in any work we write based on the notes?
I want a string of notes as tab/comma delimited file or something similar, so I can read them into other software with a robust outliner for organization & writing support.
Reading between the lines it seems like Boox can do some of that. Not sure it'll add bibliographic data, 'though I can do that manually with the annotation if required. But it sounds like Boox doesn't export in a format that anything else can read; it's a proprietary format.
Is that true?
@@jamesthompson7282 The boox is a cool product but it is proprietary driven. battery hungry. I've switched to the supernote (even though it is small (7.8). I use the boox as a home device e reader. . Th note air 3c sucks on battery life and goofy big.
What is the camera like? Is it good enough to take a picture of a lecture whiteboard from 5-10meters away in good light?
Bought a Tab Ultra C Pro and a Note Air 3 C to compare. I'm very confused because the Tab Ultra C Pro has a much faster processor but none of the apps seem much faster. It SEEMS like a few refreshes happen faster but I think it could be placebo effect. I forced three uninterested members of my family to use the kindle, onenote, and nytimes apps on both devices. no one could tell the difference.
The processor was the main reason I thought I'd want the Ultra C pro. It's a couple generations newer (Snapdragon 855 vs 6-something on the Note Air 3 C). But if I can't tell a difference, what's the point? I don't need a keyboard and the Note Air 3 C is thinner, a little lighter, and has a much better writing experience.
Great review as always. I have a dumb question though, my main use case for either of these devices is to take math notes with all its associated symbols and render it as a pdf or latex. Does anyone know if this is possible?
That is a USB-A to USB-C cable not a USB-B... B isn't commonly used anymore and historically was used mainly for peripherals like printers.
Thank you, I definitely goof that.
Printers and synthesizers! :D
Can you fold keyboard behind the screen so you can hand write notes or does it still register key presses like that? Meaning do I need to take it out of the keyboard case to use for hand written notes.
Really nervous about the strength of the device with no good cases on the market for it and so many reviews saying yhe screen shatters. Im on the go 24/7 do ylu think it could hold up?
Very Well Done ! ......... thank you
time 31:19 comparison tab ultra c and note air 3 c. why the writing indicates model: tab ultra and ultra c?
I think there are settings to improve the trackpad you could explore. Amazon has the keyboard cover for an extra $150, FYI.
I didn’t think they would let you change it on the base OS, but I will recheck
Why do the Tab Ultra C Pro exists? What cant I do on the Note Air 3 C that I can on the Ultra C Pro?
It probably shouldn’t exist. They at least did improve the keyboard folio.
Finally, they upgraded the Ultra Tab C to a Pro version. But still, I'm thinking about buying an e-ink tablet or an iPad
Really comes down to how you intend to use it. An iPad is an excellent device, but not a great writing experience.
Could you please check if the new air c and ultra c pro will output to tvs or monitors through usb c? It would be really nice for me to use that function at work for me... If it can, I'm likely getting the air c and just use a separate keyboard.
I unfortunately don’t have a USB C monitor, but I can try it with a HDMI dongle
@@BrandonKBoswell that would be so awesome! I'm actually going to be using a usb c hub with an hdmi port as well. I would really love to make a kaleido pad my workhorse so I can save my eyeballs from managing a kindergarten curriculum.
Why their website is so confusing
- does note air 3c support same keyboard case which they show in ultra 3c pro
- in images for ultra 3c pro they show keyboard case but also show that as an accessory as well
From my understanding, the keyboard cases are directed towards the tabs only. The tab ultra/tab ultra c has a separate keyboard than the tab ultra c pro. I think wtv tab u have needs to go w that certain keyboard. The keyboard case is technically an accessory since you can just get a regular case or wtv. They show the keyboard probably so you know about ut and that it’s for that certain device.
Why is boox releasing like 5 tablets every month? Is there a yearly quota on this 😂
Probably because they have no ecosystem around their devices from which to make money? So their only source of income is selling devices. But I agree that they are really overdoing it. I like innovation like the next guy, but with Onyx it's becoming a problem to ever decide on buying any of their devices, knowing that a better one will probably be released in a few months.
Which one would you rather buy if you can only pick one. Remarkable 2 or TUCP?
They are very different devices for different use cases. For me focus is the top priority, so rM2
I have the older TUC and I won't upgrade until the next one instead of this Pro.
A firmware update is need in Boox note taking app :
1. The ability to create table of contents like in superonte a5x and a6x
2. link star should be like supernote do you could know it is registered.
Wow, you are cute. Thanks for the awesome review!
Thanks for this great video! Would you regard either the Note Air 3 C or the Tab Ultra C Pro as a good device for mind mapping?
Good question. What are you using currently?
@@BrandonKBoswell I am still using pen and paper :) but I am looking into options to digitize my note taking and mind mapping. I use multiple colors for highlighting. Besides this, I am fascinated by the idea of having centralized archive of notes and a search engine that searches through my handwriting.
@@stefanohiwat2680 I don't think you can change the paper size on the Boox devices which makes it difficult to mind map with their stock apps. Goodnotes 5 on the iPad allows custom paper sizes to create a big canvas for mind maps
Interesting video. I think for an eink PC, they need a more PC like Operating System. Android is not really built for PCs. Next option would be ChromeOS. Could also try Windows. For the Box Tab Ultra C Pro, they need a better keyboard case design that is closer to a laptop.. Maybe a Magic Keyboard style approach. Helps with portability
I really want eink laptop!
Windows or Android?
@@BrandonKBoswell of course windows. Android is so limited
Anyone installed samsung notes on the Boox Tab Ultra C Pro?
I see a fellow lefty.
Nope, its not a PC, its just for media consumption. Even the top ipad or android tab are no where bear the productivity of Surface Pro or Macbook. So would rather say its a eye friendly tablet replacement.
Agreed.
My use case is something to replace my phone for reading news and social media in the evening, to reduce strain on eyes from LCD screen. Which one is for me? 🤔 Thank you!
Probably Note Air 3 C
Thanks! I'm leaning that way!
If you want to comapre the Ultra C with the Ultra C Pro:
You pay 50$ more for: 1Ghz CPU more, 2Gb Ram more, 30g lighter, 0.1mm thinner and Android 12 instead of 11. On paper totally worth it in my eyes.
However: you actually loose quite a bit of battery-power: 4600mAh instead of 6300mAh. The new cpu may help with that...however android12 with it's apps probably not.
I'd exspect less work time before recharging...dunno if that's worth the 0,1mm and 30g you save in dimension.
The older Ultra C might become cheaper over time and actually might be a better deal for you with the better battery and only minor differences in hardware.
The jump between the new and the old Note was obvs. bigger with colour screen etc.
Between those two the computational power is different like night and day; Snapdragon 662 vs 855. It'll show in some use case
that delay just turns me off.
I like TLC's approach better, a hybrid between lcd and paperink called NXTPAPER.
its not the same as looking at a paperink, but it is significantly better one the eyes compared to traditional LCD.
but without any of the delay that a paperink has.
Id like to see you review that device at some point, either tcl nxtpaper 11 or the 12 pro.
the fastest refresh rate for the tab ultra line is 32hz, i was bit unsure if it will work for me befre I bought it. i change my laptop monitor to refresh at 30hz, after few hours, it works ok for me. so, if you really can't sure, give it a try. i think what lag it behind is the andriod system is not mouse friendly as ipad os .
Does it come with a cover similar to the Note Air 3 C? Ie. If you don't get the keyboard case.
I believe you can add one, but it doesn’t come with a cover by default
Palm rejection?
That trackpad is a deal killer: no haptic feedback, massive lag on use so ZERO precision. Either there's friction in connection with the keyboard cover, or the internal CPU just isn't capable of keeping up with... a trackpad???
Slower on the Android homescreen than in the apps. That suggests there's a software issue. And inconsistency bottom to top half of the mousepad points to a different hardware issue with the mousepad. The fact this got past R&D then production QC: that points to a problem with manufacturing.
I'd like to see Brandon test an external Bluetooth mouse, see if it suffers the same lag.
"You could probably get away with this..." - Yeah, NO. Not for the price - same as a decent Windows laptop. Sure they've got some internal custom software, and yes they've designed for a smaller market. But the screen is actually cheaper than on the standard equivalent Windows laptop (Lenovo, Dell or Acer...).
Nice you get Android 12 with the new one. Another deal-breaker: I want to know I'll get software updates. Why no updates? In today's security environment security updates AND base OS upgrades are an absolute MUST.
j"Battery life is the thing to watch out for on these devices..." OK. So what the hell IS battery life?
THere's a lot of room for an updated more complete review of the Ultra C Pro.
That said, the comparison between all three devices was helpful. Thanks.
you need to read or see the tutorial from goodereader about that mouse settings.
what difference in antutu scores?
what is the best for note taking?
I like personally use a reMarkable 2 for notetaking.
Do you notice any lag when typing more than just a few lines--like a long email or a letter?
I haven’t found where length matters. The latency is related to the screen refresh speed
@BrandonKBoswell Thank you
Do you prefer the note air 3c over the tab ultra for typing?
My uses are reading books and writing(typing)
Most importantly, what glasses do you wear? I'm looking for a new pair lol
😂 Warby Parker
Got some useful info, couldn't finish it. You can do better review for half the time, I guess.
What IDE do you run on yours?
Boox suggesting the TUC (pro) is a 'PC' is nearly laughable. Compared to a Microsoft Surface or Samsung Tab S7/8/9 series, these e-ink devices are 'stone age' in performance and overall functionality. In my view, e-ink is best used for reading and writing. In that use case scenario, they are excellent, but even then, the lack of windowing can be cumbersome. Split screen is somewhat usable, but even that is wrought with technical problems.
it is a ok tablet, can do most other tablet can do but at half of the screen refresh rate. maximum 32hz.
i can use my ultra C to do most what i need on a PC but need bit patience . I gain my patience from a dry eye. .. thanks for lenovo's OLED screen. 😅
Compared to the Remarkable keyboard case the Boox designs leave me ...meh. It isn't that it is bad it is just not as elegant a solution because I cant leave the tablet section connected and simply slide the screen over the keyboard to use it as a tablet alone. Remarkable has fallen behind in the functions category and the paywall is galling but their designs are very nice.
Bought Tab Ultra C Pro . Nothing is Pro about this thing. Writing experience is VERY BAD. Noteshelf 3 on Ipad is years a head ; better response , much better letancy , much better accuracy , much much better app.
I use sensetivity on , 0.7 thicknes , fountain pen on the noteshelf 3 on my Ipad as a normal handwriting and the results are much more precise and easier to write and much better print results then the Boox.
You tube Vlogers don't tell you the all truth. The E ink devices sucks for writing.
I was a fool to buy it.
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - BOTH IPAD PEN ON NOTESHELF 3 AND E- INK DEVICE AND SEE FOR YOUSELF !!!
LOL They are NOT BOTH 499 :D 599 VS 499 for the NA3C
Also I am surprised you would pick the NA3C versus the TUC; as the former battery life is horrible. Maybe you do not walk around a lot, but if you do, the NA3C is not feasible for many people that actually work away from a plug; and the extra hassle to have a keyboard to carry around, if you need one, is also something to consider.
I prefer the format of the NA3C all day, as the TUC is ugly at best; but the NA3C range is about half of the TUC... which is already pretty bad compared to the NA2+, so you lose a lot in terms of battery life, and people buy eink devices also to go on for weeks without recharge the device.
You are correct. Sorry about that. My use case is largely around the house, but the NA3C should still have all day battery life for most (if not all people). The battery life definitely isn’t good by e-ink standards, but should work as long as you remember to charge it.
@@BrandonKBoswell Yeah, if you consider the 100 dollars less on the price tag and are willing to take the hit on the battery (so take with you an extra power bank); then you are compensating for the downsides of it.
It all depends from user cases in the end; although I do not understand why they couldn't make a device with the ability to do some better power saving; can't believe that there is no way to turn off extra features when not in use, like the super refresh and the GPU, if all you want is to just take notes and save battery life
What would I like to see in an e-Ink PC? In an e-Ink PC Review? YOU ASKED, Brandon.
1) You're left-handed, so like me must surely have noticed that palm rejection on devices can work fine Right-handed but not-so-much for left. For instance, the handwriting functionality of OneNote on my Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 is almost useable, right-handed. NO WAY is it when used with the stylus in my LEFT hand. Go figure. On a Lenovo Laptop, OneNote displays the same dysfunctional profile. But more so: a Windows hybrid with touch-screen can in theory act the same as an Android tablet, but in practice, Windows sucks as a tablet operating system.
So as a Lefty, please COMMENT on palm rejection and how functional handwriting actually IS on these things. Kit & Vaja do good overview reviews but they don't get this.
2) You ALL seem to do video-assisted show-&-tell that repeats the info we can get from manufacturers' spec sheets & web sites. You add some personal opinion based on what's important to you. That IS useful, but frankly pretty lame.
I see lots of feedback in Reddit streams that mirror my own experience: we can't tell whether - in REAL USE - these things are at all functional!
Here's an example use case: Zettelkasten workflow.
Zettelkasten (for other readers' benefit - I assume you know this) is a German name for a very old & incredibly effective system for writing articles & books. Originally - as an analogue system - it used recipe cards (3x5 or 2x4) to capture quick atomic notes from read documents. Each card captures some text from the document (which you have to hand-write of course), some annotation (your take on the author's content), a headline or tag, and bibliographic reference (name of source; where in the source) so attribution can be provided later.
As your research progresses you guide the process by reference to your thesis statement for the work in progress. You create an outline based on that, sort cards into decks for each section in your outline, shuffle repeatedly & move items around to create an organized flow to your content. When the research process is done, you have a Thesis Statement, an Outline (your table of contents), and a deck of cards sorted into different stacks for each section of the outline. I would do the re-organizing & shuffling on my dorm bed or floor.
Flip over a card, start typing. Keep flipping & typing. End result: a magnificently organized document or book that is organized, flows, is easy to digest as a reader.
Over time you keep these card decks, add new cards with every project but over time you have a Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS) of card decks.
It's possible to recreate this system in software but capable software apps to do it were VERY hard to find. Both EccoPro & InfoQube offer robust outlining (1 and 2-pane outliners - that's unique), and InfoQube builds on EccoPro's functionality by offering better data management in volume. Build & write documents in EccoPro, but it's unstable if you start building that PKMS over the years.
Notion & Obsidian & Lattics are apps designed to address this workflow slightly differently: they handle data volumes well, but lack a robust outliner. Instead they offer graph view, which is great for brainstorming & drawing connections, but lousy for organizing an actual workflow for writing.
None of these apps' functions are offered in the proprietary software provided by Boox, or by Supernote or reMarkable, for that matter. All these devices are note-taking replacements for paper; they also function as e-Readers.
Another reason for using an external device for organizing/writing: capable as they are, Boox devices are NOT state-of-the-art hardware, have limited RAM. As pointed out below by @flavioortolano in his/her comment, they can't open more than one or two documents at a time due to RAM limitations. The data manipulation part of my workflow - using an outliner or graph view in Lattics or Obsidian, etc. - is RAM-intensive, RAM-bound. I can predict it'll CRAWL on a Boox, or simply fail for large amounts of data. So we have to be able to export those atomic notes out of Boox and into something else, on Android, Apple or Windows.
WE NEED THE WORKFLOW. WE NEED TO KNOW e-INK DEVICES SUPPORT THE WORKFLOW.
So:
1) can we read PDFs & EPUB docs on a given device (esp. Boox since that's the one I think is likeliest to support all this).
2) Can we hightlight text on a document, annotate with a note, and have the note automatically document WHERE in the document it occurs?
3) Can we export our annotated hightlighted text with notes as separate items, with bibliographic tags to support later attribution?
4) Can we then READ & USE those notes with associated captured text snippets in external software on Android & PC or Apple?
Boox offers an Android device with stock Android 12, so I know it'll support some of the application software referenced. I prefer Windows for writing with InfoCube & EccoPro, but that's me. Others will prefer Microsoft Word or Scrivener for lengthy documents, or something else on their Apple laptops or iPads.
PLEASE test the whole workflow & review it to demonstrate it ALL works AS A WORKFLOW.
I've watched many TH-cam reviews of e-Ink devices. Have not yet seen a review that demonstrates a functional workflow, with very limited exceptions. Reddit is full of complaints from people who bought an e-Ink device & found it doesn't provide functional support for THEIR use-case.
I've provided mine. It's a pretty popular use-case, one that is currently seeing widespread adoption & user demand.
PLEASE could you demonstrate such a workflow? For outline manipulation you can just use OneNote or Microsoft Word - both offer an outline mode that isn't very robust, but is more than sufficient to demonstrate whether export to a Zettelkasten app will work.
THANK YOU. I look forward to following your reviews - especially the one requested. All the best!
my note air 2 bent super easy, id say be careful with that series
Interesting, I hadn’t had this issue with my NA2, but I guess I was lucky.
Bro, that wire is USB-A to USB-C. USB-B is very uncommon and is shaped like a square.
💯
Hi Brandon. I want to ask you advide. I have the NA3C for less than a month and I love it. However as I need to have 2 to 3 very large college ebooks opened plus the note writing app, I found the device gets quite slow and sluggish. I used the cpu-z app to understand how much ram it was using with those apps and e-books loaded in memory and out of the 4gb I had only 0.8gb left of available ram; so me not being an expert in hardware/system performance, I inferred low ram being the main issue for the slowness. Hence, I am willing to return my na3c and get the tab ultra c pro assuming the performance would improve for my use case by having the extra 2gb ram and slight faster processor. Here is my question: how bad is it to take notes on the TUC pro on a flat surface without a case? I know it sounds crazy but I must use the device without a case/cover (medical/physical limiation reasons). But having read about the wobbling created by the camera bump, I wonder how bad this really is? Can you simply get used to taking notes with the wobbling or is it just too annoying and distracting, cumbersome to the point where the only alternative is to have a cover? Can the wobbling be overcome by simply getting used to it or another workaround, or is the design makes writing on a flat surface simply impractical? My iPad has a camera and it’s about +-2.5mm high and it’s not all that bad to write on it, but TUC pro camera bump looks more like 5-6mm?? I was hoping you could provide your take on this since in more detail. You did mention briefly about the wobbling in one of your videos, but didn't go into much detail, and I was hoping you could give me your advice as to whether the camera bump is really a deal-breaker for those wanting to use it without a case/cover. I would appreciate your honest perspective and insight on this as it would help me make an educated decision. Thanks for the great work and amazing content produced.
So long as the device stays in its case, no problem: no wobble. It adds a little thickness to the device, lifting your hand well off the table, but it isn't much different, I imagine, to using a writing pad in a portfolio. And I doubt you'd want to take notes at school, for instance, or in a business setting, taking the Boox in & out of its case: that's just tempting fate. We've all dropped our phones; mine never leaves its case.
A much bigger issue is whether handwriting notes is actually functional. All the reviewers of these devices on TH-cam illustrate writing by drawing a few lines, perhaps a triangle (whee!) or even a few words. Whup-di-doo. I care about how functional the damn thing is for extended note-taking:
1) Is handwriting recognition actually pretty good (nothing's perfect, but as with OCR, 95% good isn't quite functional: you spend too much time correcting mistakes on the fly);
2) Is handwriting insert into text stable? My Android smartphone & Windows hybrid (touchscreen) laptop both support OneNote, which has better-than-average handwriting recognition & conversion to text. But on both the text gets inserted at the end of the current passage in progress (what I want) or randomly jumps about inserting words all over the place within existing text. That's not useable.
3) Is palm recognition rock-solid? I'm a lefty: I find the stylus works pretty well with great palm rejection if I 'write' (badly) with my right hand. Transfer the stylus to my left hand & everything blows up: palm rejection is abysmal. Go figure.
Overpriced imo… With this money u can get iPad Pro where u can literally do all..
assume bro thank you for videos😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
The home screen on the Tab Ultra C Pro looks more organized. Notes, Library in separate smaller windows. Apps below.
Is this unique to the Pro series or is this configurable in the NA3C?
The Tab Series runs a different home screen UI.
that doesn't look like a keyboard, looks like a baby keyboard?! What is the size factor compared to a full sized keyboard? For someone who types a lot this matters. Can you connect this to a full sized BT keyboard? If so, then why should it matter at all that it comes with a keyboard cover?!?
PS by the way I was not able to find this information on the boox website either. Nor the actual size of the screen. (they only give the diagonal but not the ratio or the L and H)
By eyeball the keys look about 10% smaller than on my Macbook. Yes, it definitely matters. You can use an external keyboard, bluetooth or USB and that would be my recommended method. Both this and the NA3C support this.
@@BrandonKBoswell very useful info, thank you so much!!
@@BrandonKBoswell gracias en verdad brandon
Boox accessories are of a very basic quality, my Ultra keyboard has an important issue with most keys not registering or getting somewhat stuck, and I use it not too often (so, not from wear or dust)
Interesting. How long did you have it before this started?
Can one watch video on the tablet
Yes, but I’m not sure you would want to
If by "true PC" you mean Windows PC, then... maybe? Microsoft has tried to conquer the ARM market for many years now (remember Windows RT?), but failed due to their lukewarm efforts, the loss of legacy apps (yes, I still use programs from twenty years ago; dictionaries, mostly), and the poor performance of ARM chips. Buuut the Snapdragon X Elite PC chipset, though not as great as Qualcomm makes it to be, should solve the "poor performance" roadblock.
After that, it'll depend on Microsoft's efforts, both with regard to the ARM version of Windows 12 and with regard to the incentives they'll be willing to offer developers and manufacturers. I remember when Microsoft updated Office for iPhone before Office for Windows Phone -- if even Microsoft didn't believe in their own platform, why should anyone else? When companies see how ephemeral Microsoft products can be, they can be weary of investing in them. Lenovo was burned with Windows 10X, for instance.
To me if you want an eink PC you want to get a Microsoft Surface and want to put an eink screen on it; that is the only thing needed. You need to run Windows or a version of windows optimized for eink display, so you can leverage the pen for apps that normally use touch. This is the biggest limit of almost every eink tablet that try to use Android. As Microsoft write their own OS, they could do that; but these small companies making eink devices will never be able to make partnership with something like Google or Microsoft to optimize their OS for eink, so apps can run at decent speed, so they are forced to add stuff like extra GPU just to force refresh, like the Boox devices do (and then most apps looks bad because the pen has delay no matter how many GPU you put in it, unless you use their first party apps).
There is no workaround; for joking about serious work, you can use these toys for email and presentations; if this is your "work" then you are good to go with this and call it a PC; but if you are a professional that need to run more applications than a browser, a mail client and a productivity suite, these are toys, not PC, and you need a real machine that run something like Linux or Windows.
Agreed
I have e-ink monitor and I connect it with my windows pc. I have zero problems to use it as a normal monitor. Ok its black and white but after using it more than one month its totally fine. I very like it. I dont see huge problems to make laptop!
@@baltgames1 The problem is exactly there... You have a monitor :) You are using your computer exactly like you use it normally, but you have an eink display.
That means beside the black and white, you use a mouse and keyboard, so your main interface is the same as usual, and beside the fact that eink refresh rate won't be as good as a LCD screen due to the tech used, your workflow is basically the same as a standard computer.
It is way different from getting an e-note device and use it as daily driver like you do with your computer, because you use a pen and touch screen. While Android tablets can benefit from being able to use external devices like touch screen and mouse and keyboard; you can't do the same with an e-note device because the apps are not optimized for it. You need to convert apps to use the APIs for each of these devices because they all use different APIs to optimize their screen refresh.
The result is that if you want to switch between taking notes with your pen and use these as actual tablet, like you can do with something like a Samsung tablet with DEX or with a MS Surface Pro tablet or iPad Pro, you can't do that yet. Until these companies will finally get to the point where they run on a OS that can be optimized for pen touch and eink, you will get sluggish results. And if I need to hook up a keyboard and mouse to a tablet to get a worst experience than what I get on a cheap tablet or laptop, I don't really see the point... I carry 2 devices and use each one for what they are best for (one for note taking, one for actual work).
Hi Bro, How are you? How can I contact You?
Knowledge Worker’s Discord or Email