It’s not that long ago that I took a closer look at the large-format eBook reader and the reMarkable 2 digital notebook in a test report. The tablet with E-Ink display has now received a major software update that raises the firmware to version 3.0 and at the same time brings numerous improvements. Among other things, one has written on the navigation, the handling of the notebook pages and the connectivity with other devices.
The reMarkable development team reports on all new features in a separate blog post. The new firmware can be found in the reader’s settings in the “General” area and can be loaded when the WLAN connection is active. In my case, I was able to update to version 3.0.4.1305, which was immediately displayed to me. The update is 75 MB in size and installed in under two minutes. After the update, the reMarkable team also informs on the tablet:
“Welcome to the beginning of a new chapter for reMarkable. We are introducing major changes to our software. We’ve improved the pages in your notebooks, expanded the writing experience, added new gestures, and improved the options for sharing and converting handwritten notes.
These changes will gradually allow our apps to seamlessly create and edit notes on your other devices. For the first time, you’ll be able to mix typed text with handwriting, save converted handwritten notes to your paper tablet, and more. We’re excited to hear what you think of the changes and the new possibilities they bring to your reMarkable.”
Changes in version 3.0 include a notebook with endless pages. PDFs and e-books also benefit from the page format changes. Documents are now scaled to fit the screen and have extra margin space to add notes. The user can set the view to a fixed width or height for all pages, or set a custom zoom level.
New gestures for improved navigation have also been introduced after the firmware update. So you can scroll with two fingers within one page, and the well-known pinch-to-zoom gestures are now with one board. To undo, simply tap the display with two fingers, a three-finger tap allows you to redo the last action.
New writing tools
In addition to the various writing tools, one can now also carry handwritten notes with typed text structure. It does this by using the on-screen keyboard to write in three different sizes and to add titles, subheadings and bullet points to notes. You can also search the typed text on a page or in the entire notebook. Important to know: Keyboard input in the reMarkable desktop application requires a Connect subscription and both devices must be updated to version 3.0.
A recent feature is the ability to save converted notes as a new page in the notebook. That means you can make quick edits with the onscreen keyboard, annotate the text with the marker, or refine it later while typing in the desktop app. Converted notes can also be moved to other documents, refined and uploaded directly to other cloud storage services and emailed.
Rotate content in documents
Another feature requested by the reMarkable community is the planned use of reMarkable in portrait and landscape modes and switching between both modes. Previously only the toolbar menu rotated, but now tapping “Set to landscape” WILL rotate the content in the documents so you can continue working without interruption.
The reMarkable 2 is available without a stylus at a price of 349 euros. This standard model of markers costs 79 euros for this product, and the Marker Plus inkjet tool costs 129 euros. The matching folios to protect the tablet are available from 69 euros. The reMarkable 2 and accessories can be ordered from the manufacturer’s website.
