Well, the world of Tech Tablets writers just got more interesting with the newly released product from the company that shook up the e-ink Tablet world, Remarkable. Introducing the Pro Move. My thoughts on the Remarkable Pro Move are a little conflicted. Let me explain to you why.
CONCERNS:
I guess we can start off first with my concerns. And what better place to start than the elephant in the room, Price. This thing is a whopping $499! That’s right $500 for an E-ink Tablet that is smaller than any other E-ink Tablet in the world that I am aware of is what you greeted with at first glance. Now at that price, you have already alienated most people, especially a niche product that doesn’t really have the same features as a cellphone or iPad, which this will automatically be compared to for better or worse in a lot of people’s minds.
If you are the few people this niche is made for and you can rightly divide a product like this from a smartphone or IPad, then you face the operational points of concern. For $500 you have a 3rd or 4th Gen system that is from the company Remarkable. Remarkable no longer has the right to call themselves new or the time to say they can get it right next time. And with that expectation, comes the need to have something completely pollished. And right or wrong expectations set aside, E-ink still produces delays and slughes interaction with the devices VS the touch and operations that people have come to expect these days. This delay or sluggish feeling(at times unresponsiveness) is something we left behind with the original touch creation. We expect better now. And I regretfully confirm that this is still not an issue fixed with this product. You will get delays and sluggish to flat out unresponsiveness randomly sometimes.
Then finally there is the concern of hype and over promising things at this level. It’s not something you want to experience. And what this comes in the shape of is the Battery life. This is going to be the 2nd most complained about issue. The promise of up to 2 weeks is a tactic that some many companies continue to get by with. So it’s not just them but it’s no more exceptable either. It’s lies, that’s just what it is. You won’t even get 1 week out of this unit, and that’s without any light, wifi, and using it less than an hour a day. Basically if you want any sort of hint to make it a week or more you would need to turn it on and write something for about 15-20 minutes at most per day at the most. Forget about using this thing for the purpose of truly replacing your notebook or making a true companion, as it is being marketed as.
The Good:
Now with the concerns out of the way, which I’m sure most of you have already made up your mind on and want to stay far away from this product now, I have to say I’ve fallen in love with it. Shocker, right? Let me tell you why..
For starters, the easiest win, the size. Omg I can’t tell you how many days I didn’t bother bringing my Remarkable 2 with me because of the size. I just didn’t want to be bothered. I loved writing in it when I was at my desk but once I stood up or went anywhere, I would rather just take my laptop or tablet than this thing. We’ll with The Pro Move, this changed everything. I started carrying this thing in my back pocket or backpack easily. I loved just walking and making notes, when needed for ideas or checklists. The writing was even better on this than the bigger remarkable tablet. The smaller notepad feel gave stability while writing and standing or walking. I didn’t need a table or my lap to do this. Easily the biggest addicting thing that Remarkable did with this Pro Move. You basically want it with you far more than you did the others.
And speaking of writing, I got to bring up the color and light abilities I have now with it over my older Remarkable 2. I mean this makes my note taking so much more exciting, customizable, and fun. Once again adding to my addiction to always wanting to write. Even the pen feels amazing on the new surface front and even on the back for grip that is more tactical than the previous Remarkable 2 full size along with having higher PPI. I mean Remarkable absolutely Nailed this feeling and balance that truly makes you think of a notepad only without the limitation of pages and corrections.
Everything from the weight of the unit down to the gestures and features ability to make shapes and lines just work and feel better on the smaller screen. And sure I may have a little more excitement in me coming from the standard none color Remarkable 2 but it’s still amazing for such a smaller unit to provide all the things the bigger one does but feel better doing it. You get all the options, tamplete options, and web sync abilities.
CONCLUSION:
At the end of the day, what I discovered was an addiction to writing on this tablet that was stronger than any other before it, including ipads. The four day battery life I have VS the 2 week battery goal was something that I forgot about because I was too engrossed with the experience of writing everywhere and anywhere. And for a person that loves to write about things, write books, and create lists and journal entries on just about anything, this was right up my alley. Now, I just can’t put it down too long before using it or taking it with me when I leave the house just to write on it. It’s like my own personal escape when I don’t use music and IEMs .
Tech-N-Things 