[vtail]

After a few days of using Daylight Computer, I have to admit that it solves all the pain points I had with Remarkable 2:

- 60 FPS screen makes a huge difference in reading experience, especially if you want to flip through a PDF quickly

- It's an Android tablet, meaning that I can use my usual programs and don't have an awkward "how do I bring it to Remarkable and back" process

The downsides:

- It's $729 vs $379 for the Remarkable 2

- It's heavier

However, I'm not going back.

[tiffanyh]

I just returned my Daylight.

I found it:

- oddly heavy, the Daylight is made of all plastic (body & screen) - yet it’s heavier than an iPad Air made from metal & glass.

- handwriting lag, the input lags when I use the pen is so much that it distracts me while writing a sentence. I have to concentrate to ensure it’s keeping up with each letter I write. No such lag exists with my iPad Air.

- no setup instructions or tutorial on its unique gestures. You boot it up and have to figure out how it works and getting it on WiFi

- display resolution is much worse than I was expecting.

- when using chrome, webpages render incredibly small. I’m having to constantly zoom in. There’s a setting in chrome about “desktop mode” but it made no difference.

And I also wasn’t expecting to have to sign up for a Google account to even get software updates, even from Daylight. (Maybe I don’t but that’s what the Google App Store made it seem like).

Wish I had read this review before I had bought it.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/20/24201356/daylight-compute...

* Note: I truly love the idea of Daylight, and hope they succeed. But in my mind, a considerable device improvement needs to be made to realize that vision. Until then, I’ll revert back to using my iPad Air (and now with nano-texture coming more broadly across Apple lines, Daylight is going to have that much more to overcome - because Apple is also cheaper product).

[vtail]

Interesting feedback, thanks. My own reflections:

- oddly heavy: it's indeed heavier than remarkable, but not an issue for me.

- handwriting lag: hm, which app did you use? I didn't notice that in both Reader and Notes, the experience was all right for me.

- no setup: valid feedback, I had to figure out things myself. Granted, it's an Android tablet, so I think I discovered most of the shortcuts etc. Not that much different from iPad.

- display resolution: maybe because I used iPad mini (and Remarkable) before, I didn't have very high expectations. The resolution is OK with me.

- chrome rendering too small: I didn't notice that before you mentioned it, but you can also change the default zoom level in Settings -> Accessibility, which I just discovered.

- Google ecosystem: yep, I kinda expected that given that I knew it's an Android tablet, so that was not an issue for me.

[JoshTriplett]

How's the quality of the stylus? Have you found good software for handwriting, both in general and atop existing documents?

[vtail]

For hand-writing, I just use the provided tools (Notebook and Reader). Notebook is OK, Reader is interesting but glitchy (it's their own software I think), but I'm sure Android ecosystem has solved these problems already - I just didn't yet feel the need to invest my time in discovering the best tools.

[vtail]

I think it's a standard Wacom stylus. I like it overall, the writing is pretty fluid.

[rafaelmn]

Just looked into this and - this isn't e-ink just a grayscale LCD - at that point just get an iPad instead of an overpriced low end Android tablet.

[vtail]

It's a reflective LCD, much better in a direct sunlight.

Our mileage certainly varies - I would not consider buying an iPad (I already have an iPad mini and don't want more of that), but this device I really like. It's hard to put a finger on it. I read other reviewers claiming that reading e.g. X in greyscale is less addictive, and I didn't really believe it until I tried it myself. Something is certainly different about my workflows on this device.

Reading it late at night is much more enjoyable than reading an iPad, even with the Night Shift on.

[ilt]

Did you try enabling grayscale in iPad and perhaps with a paper like screen protector? I use one such with my iPad Pro and it’s surprisingly pretty effective for me.

[vtail]

No, I did not, and agree it would be an interesting experiment. Daylight Co still claims the absence of blue light, which cannot be achieved in an IPad from what I understand even with a filter.

[ISL]

They're different enough that they are worth trying out.

[fragmede]

> It's an Android tablet

That's not a feature. I'm looking for a digital piece of paper that can't access reddit/HN/webpages-on-demand, not something that runs highly distracting apps. If I wanted that I could just buy an ipad. I know it's seems really weird to intentionally pay more and get less - fewer features, but the fact that I can go lock myself in my office with my phone and laptop elsewhere and get some proper reading and writing done on my remarkable is, well, I'd say remarkable, but now I sound like an ad. But I'm not getting paid by them and that's just what they called it.

[walterbell]

iPadOS Accessibility Mode can restrict usage to a few user-selected apps.

[eternityforest]

You can turn it off without getting up out your chair though, right?

[walterbell]

There's a separate password for exiting Assistive Access.

If you don't trust yourself, let someone else setup that password.

https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/set-...

[eternityforest]

I guess you could also use a long password and write it down in a different room

[Epa095]

Did you consider any of the boox tablets? On first sight they seem quite similar, epaper with android, but maybe there are important differences I am overlooking?