[lvncelot]

I have a Remarkable 2 that I used to use religiously, now use sporadically, but cannot recommend because of the user-hostile changes to the subscription and the very restrictive underlying software.

One of the promises that lead me to buy one was the hackability - "It's Linux!" "You can SSH into it!", which, on paper (heh) is still true, but in practice very much isn't.

I think something like a Boox, which runs Android, might be more open to customization, but for now I am back to pencil and paper. That doesn't run Linux, but it also won't change its terms of service anytime soon.

[cooperadymas]

Remarkable itself does not promote the devices as hackable. That's the community that has evolved around it taking advantage of the company leaving the device open in this way. Furthermore, there is quite a thriving ecosystem[1] of custom software for the devices, so your assessment of it not working in practice is empirically untrue.

> the very restrictive underlying software

This is by design, based on publicly espoused principles, and everything about the product branding makes it very explicit and obvious. No one should buy a Remarkable device and be surprised about how restrictive it is.

> the user-hostile changes to the subscription

The "user-hostile" changes to the subscription is that they are charging for it.

It is worth emphasizing that nothing is restricted with device usage if you do not have a subscription. They expect you to pay if you want to use anything which runs through their cloud services, which is undeniably reasonable.

You can sync to other cloud providers without an active subscription.[2]

[1] https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable [2] https://support.remarkable.com/s/article/Using-reMarkable-wi...

[kstrauser]

I almost bought one before I realized I’d be subscribing to it. No, that’s absolutely not reasonable given the price of the unit.

These things aren’t syncing videos. They’re moving some text and PDFs around. Even Apple gives you permanently free iCloud services when you own any Apple device, with the complaint being that they should give you more storage, not that you can’t use it at all.

[Melatonic]

Topographic maps would be amazing for these but I doubt we see that anytime soon

[motbus3]

Nice to know. I was considering it but that is a deal breaker for me. I'm tired of companies trying to steal back what the sold me.

[cooperadymas]

You can completely and fully use the device without any subscription. They only charge for the usage of their cloud services.

Remarkable has not "stolen" anything back which they sold.

On the contrary, they grandfathered in users which bought a device prior to their charging for a subscription so that they all have free access.

[goku12]

> I'm tired of companies trying to steal back what the[y] sold me.

That's an interesting way of describing that. Don't mind if I steal this quote for when I might need it. Messaging matters!

[solarkraft]

FWIW I didn’t like the Boox experience: For writing you’re limited to the stock notes app, which I didn’t find usable: You can’t even zoom in it (something I thought would obviously be possible when choosing the smaller Nova 2). It also has a full Android system, which comes with advantages for sure but invites distractions and leads to very disappointing battery life.

[kybernetikos]

I've been using a boox note air for many years and you definitely can zoom on that.

Android is great for this use case because it lets me syncthing notes and use sheet music apps and use both kindle and kobo and calibre library and offline wikipedia and my own tools. As far as I'm concerned if you try to use it as a generic android tablet you're doing it wrong, but android is a massive step above what everyone else is offering (i.e. none of that)

[goosedragons]

What firmware do you have your Nova 2? The stock notes app has zoom as of 2024-01-03 at least. Not sure when that was added.

[RMPR]

> It also has a full Android system, which comes with advantages for sure but invites distractions and leads to very disappointing battery life.

While some models have a disappointing battery life, it's most definitely because of BSR[0] not because of them running Android. I had a Note Air 3 and that thing got easily 2 weeks of battery life with heavy use while the BSR version (Note Air 3C) barely survived 2 days.

0: https://shop.boox.com/blogs/news/boox-super-refresh-bsr-tech...

[InsideOutSanta]

Yes, same. I have one that was grandfathered into the "no subscription" system, which means I can't buy another one (not sure if I will keep the ability not to have a subscription), and can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone else.

I do have a Boox Note Air4, which I bought with the intention of replacing the ReMarkable. On the plus side, it runs Android apps, but on the minus side, the UI is much less polished than the ReMarkable. Having said that, if I had the choice between the two, and weren't grandfathered into the no-subscription option, I would pick the Boox.

[jfim]

I believe the lifetime free subscription is an account setting, not a per device setting. If you go to my.remarkable.com and check the connect subscription page, it should say it's free as a reward for being an early customer.

You can also connect more than one device to the account nowadays.

[IamCanadian]

Yes. Your grandfather status will automatically carry over to your new device. I have purchased all the Remarkable units since day 1. My grandfather status has been in interrupted.

[KeplerBoy]

The boox indeed is nice.

These days I do quite a bit of field work outdoors (taking measurements, ssh'ing into mobile equipment) and a laptop is a chore to use in broad daylight. With the boox I can connect a bluetooth keyboard and install termux. It's not a perfect setup, but sure beats squinting at a dim screen.

[lvncelot]

Ha, I actually thought about getting a Boox when I started spending some time in my garden to work this summer cause of that exact same reason. Good to hear that it's actually feasible.

[tpoacher]

Out of curiosity, what were the user hostile changes you mention?

[nosianu]

You got the cloud functions for free initially. Now you have to have a subscription. Mine is still free - the pre-order buyers were left with a free subscription after that change.

[JeremyNT]

> One of the promises that lead me to buy one was the hackability - "It's Linux!" "You can SSH into it!", which, on paper (heh) is still true, but in practice very much isn't.

Can you expand on this a bit? Can't you still run third party software on the newer iterations?

[cooperadymas]

Yes. The Paper Pro (and presumably the Move) require you to explicitly enable developer mode in order to enable ssh access where older devices had it enabled by default. USB still works. It is, however, not easy to toggle dev mode on and off - so once you activate it you will probably keep it active.

[polskibus]

Which Boox in particular would you recommend?

[RMPR]

It mostly depends on your needs, the Note Air series is good if you are on the go while the bigger models like the Note Air Max are fit for a more stationary use.

[amelius]

The enshittification is everywhere ...