chippwalters
patreon
Off the beaten path
🕑 Added 2021-03-23 23:12:44 +0000 UTCSo hey all, just thought I'd share some interesting stuff I've found lately.
First off, I've been a big fan of e-ink tablets for awhile now. I bought many of them to test them and finally settled on the Boxx Note Air.
I used it and a Remarkable to create the design notes I've posted previously.
So, I came across these LCD Writing Tablets, which you may know as Boogie Boards from years back. They've advanced some and have come way down in price. You can get some of the smaller ones under $10 on Amazon. I bought a few to test out. The original Boogie Board Blackboard is interesting because it comes with templates and a spot erasure feature.
If you're not familiar with them, these are very thin tablets which you can use a stylus or your fingernail, or any sharp instrument to draw on. Most have no ability to spot erase, so it's sorta like drawing on paper with a pen. They use a round tiny flat battery to erase the whole screen. The battery is supposed to last for years, so there's virtually no maintenance, and since the electricity is only ever used to erase, the drawing you create stays on the screen forever-- until you decide to erase it. Kind of like a white board without the mess (and less contrast). Like non-backlighted LCDs, it works great in light, not so good in poor light. That's why I suggest a reading light.
My favorite LCD writing tablet, hands down is the xiaomi one-- a bit more expensive, but works much better that the rest. In particular, it does really good palm rejection and feels more sturdy so you can draw with it while lying in bed or on a couch.
It's at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JPJXT6S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_4S730AGFB9TM3P1SZRQX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I also recommend the energizer book light at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0828MZGNX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_QRP28BKYCZP364TG42RF
The picture above is the first sketch I made on it just playing around, while sitting in bed watching YouTube.
There's also an iPhone and Android app called "jot" which is really good at converting the scribble to a black and white picture, then sharing. That's how I captured that image above.
So you may be asking, "Why draw on an under $40 device when you have a Remarkable or Note Air e-ink device?" Good question! I prefer the LCD tablet as I can just jot down ideas as they come, without ever having to worry about where to store/sort them, and to me it's just an easier workflow. Plus, not being able to spot erase allows me to not obsess over details-- like I do on my e-ink tablet sketches.
Another use is for recording stuff. For instance I have an under $10 one on my wall in my bathroom where I log glucose readings each day. Because they are so cheap, I can put them just about anywhere.
Anyway, I thought this might be interesting to some of you. FWIW, the picture shows the xiaomi tablet with the book light attached.
Comments
Chipp Walters
Hi Anthony. Yes, I've used iPad Pros with the Apple pencil. If you go that route, look into the "paper feel" screen protectors. There are a lot of them out there so do your research. They will help immeasurably if you plan on drawing or writing on your iPad.
Anthony Aragues
thanks, I didnt know devices existed for so cheap! I'm going to mount one in the toilet room for my wife and I to scribble bad jokes to each other (we used to do this with dry erase boards) I was thinking of blowing a ton of $ on an ipad pro (I'm a mac guy) and I'm curious if you've messed with drawing on one for a while using the apple pencil2 which alone is~$200... besides the cost, any thoughts?
