My wife had one, sadly they have very closed system, its really just for notes, if you try use it as ebook reader it will get complicated and unintuitive real fast. Dont even think about reading web on that thing.
this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
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Yeah, this is really not such a strength as people might think. I'm all for it being minimalist, and I wouldn't want to have a web browser on mine. But the system is closed down way beyond what is reasonable. It runs Linux, and the only reason I can see to keep it closed down is that they want to sell their own cloud subscription.
I would love to synchronize files with Nextcloud. Should be easy to do, considering it's a Linux device. But nope, it's too locked down and there's no way.
I have the keyboard attachment. It's useless - I cannot edit plain text files, only their own restricted word-like format. At some point they even removed the option to email myself the text of the notes I had written, rendering whatever I wrote completely locked inside the device. And while the Linux shell of the device is accessible through SSH, I cannot change the keyboard layout without re-routing the driver which is some sort of deep black magic. So I'm stuck with QWERTY which is pretty much unusable for me.
Their cloud service forces you to pay a monthly subscription for some pretty basic features. Thankfully I get it for free as I had my account before they started charging for all that.
Reading the web sounds bad indeed, but it would be nice to be able to read the news on the device. It would be the perfect device for an RSS reader, had they not closed it down so forcefully.
Hell, if I could just access the terminal from the device I could use the keyboard attachment and SSH my way into my laptop, and I could do my writing work without having to stare at a screen all day. But the only way of accessing the terminal without jumping through a bunch of impossible hoops of third party hacks is through a computer using SSH. It would have been so easy for them to just make one available directly somewhere.
They do not have a linux app and there's no nextcloud support, so I have to sign in to their web app every time I want to send a PDF to the device. And when I want it back to my computer I have to email it to myself.
Hell, I should be able to run Zotero on it and integrate it with my Zotero cloud. My Zotero library should be directly available on the Remarkable, and my annotations in documents should be synchronized. The Remarkable runs Linux, and Zotero supports Linux ARM. It would be easy to achieve, and would be an obvious benefit to a lot of users. But no, they insist on their own stupid solutions for no other reason than fucking over their users for money.
I use my Remarkable all the time. I wouldn't want to be without it. But the stupidly restrictive system is not a feature, it's a pain in the ass.
A locked down Linux system on a device you own and paid for sounds like it should be a crime ๐
Thankfully it is a crime, as they are bound by software licenses requiring users to be able to mess around with the system. That's the only reason it's possible to access the terminal through SSH from a computer, and doing so is easy. However, getting from there to making meaningful changes is a mess.
For those interested there's a useful list of Remarkable hacks on github. There have been many useful hacks throughout the ages, but many have been broken as Remarkable has changed the architecture of their cloud service and made various tweaks to the operating system. Some of them I have also found to be too difficult to set up so I just gave up.
Still, it's good to know there's at least some open source effort for this device. Better than nothing...
Thank you for all this info!
Thank you for a nice summary, you saved me a lot of work ๐ I basically agree with everything you said ๐
I had a look and the fact that you need a monthly subscription so you can search in your handwritten notes is kind of a red flag. Well the subscription is already one. Except if you're able to go selfhosted I doubt I would be convinced, then again, I'm not the target as I'm broke ๐
Exactly. Whenever there is a subscription for something basic it's a huge red flag and no go.
I have one and it's fantastic for note taking at work and personal life and reading technical PDFs on.
That's it. That's all it's designed for.
I wouldn't buy one new, get one second hand because then it's worth the price.
I use mine as a PDF reader and for note taking. I also bounce long form articles to read as itโs easier on the eyes and less distracting.
Iโm not that fussed about ebooks as Iโd rather just get the book. It works for me.
It isnโt open source though and the software is extremely limited. I think as a design choice. YMMV
I think its incentivizing for the subscription. Personally I am waiting for linux eink tablet ๐
Thatโs a bonus.
Well if it was 3 times cheaper maybe. But for the price I expect capable device, not device crippled by software (and subscription).
If you want a tablet that does a lot more an iPad or Android tablet for the same price is the way to go. Pure ebook readers are cheaper.
Remarkable gives you an eink screen and a distraction free experience. Itโs more aimed at people who like taking notes and sketching on paper, but also want to access these notes from their phone and other devices.
Remarkable makes a niche device. Itโs kind of a specialized minimalist computing device that mimics an analog notepad or notebook.
I know two people, who own one. One is an author for D&D and other RPGs, mostly adventure and source books. The other one is a psychologist, who uses one during therapy sessions for notes. Itโs a very nice machine for taking notes and thatโs it.
No I don't wanna google or apple device. I know why is remarkable supposed to be special but after trying it, it is not really that... well.. remarkable.
That said, everyone is different ๐คท
https://pine64.org/devices/pinenote/
Free hardware, free software
I love this. โฌ610 for the community developer edition though. And I don't really have time for another project. Will make some folks very happy though
$399 on the global store they ship from Hong Kong and pricey
Kobos are Canadian and not stupid expensive for what they are.
I get all my stuff second hand anyway. But just checked and Kobo Elipsa 2E is ยฃ349 and Remarkable 2 is ยฃ389 so it's not that different really. Not that I'm paying that amount for either.
I guess it all depends on what you get out of it though. I use my Remarkable every day so am seriously considering a second hand Paper Pro Move 2 when they come through into the market. Spend your money where you spend your time and all that
Soโฆ You compared the most expensive one Kobo makes to Remarkableโs least and oldest? Iโm not sure that is making the argument you think it is.
I'm not looking for an argument. I just looked at the one I own and the same one (large screen with pen) that Kobo makes. None of this is by force. I'm not here to promote Remarkable. Let's kiss and move on x
FYI . . . PocketBook eReaders were founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, now headquartered Switzerland. Also their eReaders are all based on a Yocto linux build.
Thanks. I wasn't aware
It took me too long to parse that remarkable was the company name.
Then again it's monday morning