For the longest time, I've hated making handwritten notes. Okay, that's an understatement—it should be "since forever." I welcomed the digital age, although it came too late for me to avoid handwriting my notes in school. I do the bulk of my writing with a Topre HHKB keyboard that goes with me everywhere, so I don't have to deal with adjusting to another keyboard.

However, getting out my keyboard to take notes isn't always possible; typing on my phone is terrible, and I still hate paper and pen notes because I lose everything. I absolutely love E Ink, though, and one particular E Ink tablet has kept me organized since the end of 2022. While I don't have the color display that our EIC Rich Woods enjoys, the ReMarkable 2 has been my tried and tested companion for years.

6 It's always ready

E Ink gives you astonishing battery life, and there's no boot sequence

You know what they say about pen and paper always being ready? Well, the ReMarkable 2 is pretty darn close, with a one-touch wake button that takes as long as the E Ink display refreshes to be ready for writing and a battery life that's somewhat miraculous. I mean, I'm used to E Ink being fantastic for battery life, but I've only run out of battery a few times, and even then, it wakes up almost straight away once you plug it into a charger. The screen normally says something about ReMarkable is sleeping, but if the battery runs down, the screen changes to a message about needing to charge, which is a thoughtful touch.

That's exactly what I need from a productivity tool. There can't be any friction in the starting process because I won't keep using it. Anything slower than "right now" is too long, whether that's a slow booting device, a screen that takes time to wake up, or even a pen that lags slightly behind how your brain thinks you are writing. None of these things are an issue here, and with a long battery life, I don't have to worry that much about carrying a charger.

5 It feels awesome to use

The closest thing to using a pen and paper in digital form

When I was still in school and had to handwrite daily, I spent a non-inconsiderable time trying out different pens, inks, paper, and notebooks to find a combination that worked. As a result, I did my last few years of school with a fountain pen, as it slowed me down enough to get legible notes afterward. Similarly, with digital notetaking devices, I've used dozens of different combinations of E Ink devices, tablets, styli, and paper notebooks that use special pens to digitize text, and only the ReMarkable 2 has felt like paper.

That's no small thing, and the company nailed it with this device. The development process involved microscopic scans of the materials used on the screen and lots of user testing to get the surface friction right so that it feels like a physical piece of paper, with a pencil, and not E Ink. It's such a familiar feeling and yet futuristic at the same time, because you know it's a digital device, and that sense of comfort and wonder makes me want to use it more and more.

4 No distractions

This is the biggest boost to my productivity

One of the ReMarkable 2's strongest features is its pared-down software experience. When I'm doodling or writing down ideas for inspiration, I don't need access to other apps, a browser, notifications, or anything that could distract my mind. And really, everything distracts my mind, even color screens, so the monochrome slate of this E Ink tablet is a godsend.

No, really. If the device settings are too complex, I'll spend half an hour tweaking things before I start writing. If I'm using a laptop, I'll go click the check for updates button a few times, even though I've done it half a dozen times in the last ten minutes. Anything other than actually starting to write. But with a stylus and a blank page, I can scribble or sketch, write things down and scrub them out, and iterate on ideas because they're easily removable and changeable. It's paradoxically freeing to have a constrained set of features, and it's perfect for letting my mind wander (but not too much).

3 Converts my handwriting into typed notes

Seriously, I can barely read my handwriting, so this is impressive

For long-term notes, it helps if you can read them again months later. But that's an issue with my handwriting because I can read it seconds after I've written it, but somehow, months later, it looks like a lost language on a stone tablet. The ReMarkable 2's software has a handy OCR function that turns your handwritten notes into tidy, digitally typed ones, and I've found that if I write in block capitals, it can decipher my scribbles no matter how fast I write. Then I can copy those notes into my personal knowledge system, and never have to worry if my imperfect biological memory will remember things or not.

2 Acceptable for use in meetings

Even if your company has a screens-down mandate

The workplace has changed drastically over the last few years, but some meetings have to be in person. Some meeting organizers have issues with people typing on their laptops while presentations are being given, as the noise can be distracting. Many companies have no-laptop rules for meetings, and that's not helpful if you're trying to take notes. But the ReMarkable 2 doesn't look like a laptop. It doesn't even look like a tablet, has no camera, no microphone, and uses a stylus for most inputs. It's perfect for those no-screen meetings, where you can silently scribble down notes on whatever the presentation is about.

1 It can annotate PDFs

I don't know if I could read specs sheets without it anymore

A big part of my job, wherever I've worked, has been distilling information from PDF files. I've printed them out for annotations, I've used digital suites to copy, paste, and otherwise transfer data into a document I can edit, or paraphrased sections by typing them. I no longer have to print anything out, because I can sync them to the ReMarkable 2 and annotate or highlight there. I suppose the color Paper Pro might be better for this, but again, the multiple colors would likely distract me from doing the work, and a lighter shade of gray for highlighting works just as well in practice.

I used to think I was bad at note-taking, but all it took was the right tool for me

Between my scruffy handwriting, a brain that writes things down in the wrong order fairly often, and a dislike of crossing out mistakes or wasting paper, I've always struggled with note-taking. I've got virtual sticky notes on my computer's desktop, which helps because I can always open them to jot down whatever fleeting thought has crossed my mind. Except for when I'm away from my desk, which often means copying notes back from my phone, or an attitude of "oh it'll come back to me if it's important", which never ends well.

But by keeping the ReMarkable 2 within arms' reach when I'm not at my desk, I can scribble down notes or adjust documents I've typed on the computer, circle things on PDFs for research, and most importantly, have my notes backed up to the cloud, so I can't lose them. Then, I can open the app on my phone or computer and adjust things further, or copy notes into Word for further embellishment. It might not be everyone's idea of a productivity system, but it works for me, and I couldn't be without my trusty tablet companion.