GoKawiilI've been on a playwriting kick lately. Three plays in three years, and I love the process of writing drafts. But when it comes to looking them over afterward, I have a hard time finding a comfortable system.
Laptops are chunky. iPads are good. I don't print things out much anymore. But I've been looking at my play drafts on the new Remarkable Paper Pure in the mornings, and writing this review intro via longhand on the tablet's crisp white screen. It feels like an actual notebook.
I remember being wowed by Remarkable's ultra-fast E Ink stylus magic nearly a decade ago, and since then, stylus-friendly E Ink tablets have become their own industry. Amazon's Kindle Scribe and Boox's many tablets compete with Remarkable, which has its own line of black-and-white and color tablets now.
The Remarkable Paper Pure is an update and replacement to the Remarkable 2, a black-and-white/grayscale tablet that was released back in 2000. The $399 Pure, available for preorder now and shipping in early June, is the same price as the Remarkable 2. But it's subtly and notably better.
I like looking through my play drafts on this. Scott Stein/CNET
The refresh speed of the Canvas greyscale display is twice as fast (21 millisecond refresh now), and most page turns and other interactions feel relatively zippy now. I like that, but I also love that the display is much whiter. The tablet's footprint is smaller, too and weighs less (12.6 ounces versus 14.2 ounces for Remarkable 2, despite having the same 10.3-inch, 1,872x1,404-pixel greyscale display. It feels more welcoming, although the tablet is a bit thicker now (.2 inches).
There isn't a back (or front) light, though, something the color Paper Pro and Paper Move both have. Lights on E Ink tablets don't always look that fantastic, but they are useful. The Pure is meant to be used like a regular notebook, with ambient room light.
What really surprises me about the new Pure tablet isn't how much I like it, though. It's how much my 17-year-old kid does. He took to drawing on it right away. Now he wants one. Although he isn't wild about how much it costs, he's very into the whole proposition.
The padded slip case and step-up stylus pen cost an extra $50 total, but are worth it if you're considering the Pure. Scott Stein/CNET
Back to the (improved) basics
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