Writing By Hand – Available Tool BOOX

I mentioned many times that I write the first drafts of my books by hand. Even though I love paper and pens, the fact is, that even though the typing from the paper into the computer gives me the opportunity to catch plot flaws and errors in general, it is also a strain. For quite some time I have been looking for a possibility to work directly on my computer, but I just don’t feel too comfortable with it. Writing by hand has always been my thing, and I love this part of being an author far too much to just entirely give it up.

A wonderful friend of mine has shown me a tool, called the BOOX Note Air2, a ‘paper reader’, namely a tablet, thin as paper, light, handy, where the owner can take notes by hand, which the tablet then transfers into a computer font. Perfect!

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

My writer-self was screaming when I had that thing in my hand: ‘want!” GIVE ME THAT THING!”

The other half of my author-personality was more rational: “Now, you won’t type in your stories anymore, that might mean, you’re going to miss plot flaws, other errors, your books are going to suck…”

What am I to do?

Well, it’s never wrong to start researching the things you’d like to have. After all, these are expensive devices, and you will have them for quite a while.

Picture courtesy of Amazon.com

What we have here is the comparison between four different products, one of them the BOOX Note Air2, with THe Meebook E-Reader, the Kobo Sage E-Reader and the Kobo Forma E-Reader. All of the other products cost more than $200 less than the BOOX Note Air 2. Also, they cannot offer what the BOOX Note Air2 can. We’re talking about a tablet that can take notes, transfer them into a PDF, transfer handwriting into computer fonts – and here it gets tricky… I tried the handwriting-transfer-document possibility, and the BOOX Note Air2 had problems to adjust my handwriting and transfer them into decent text. It has WiFi, it can take recordings, one can draw, create, take notes, correct, adjust, show, present, and is an e-reader as well… but it had problems with my handwriting, which makes me hesitate. That was actually the reason why I considered buying one!

The reviews for all of the compared products aren’t much different from each other. The BOOX product does have wonderful reviews, but there was the one or other user who wasn’t happy with it, and they returned it. But so were users with the other products.

The BOOX Note Air 2 has a screen size of 10.3 inches and weighs only 2.2 pounds (it does feel lighter)… But what is it good for, for me especially? I have a fully functional SAMSUNG Galaxy tablet, aligned with my phone and laptop, and I use a Kindle Paperwhite reader, which is, according to many studies one of the best e-readers, currently. (Well, after someone apparently trampled on it and gave it a good kick, it got a couple of hiccups, occasionally, but that’s only a detail). But basically I’m working here, as a writer. I’m fully equipped, and by thinking about it, a paper journal costs me $30, and doesn’t use any batteries.

After carefully studying the devices, I’m not that much wiser than I was before.

Maybe someone has experience with the one or other tablet/e-reader/device and can advice me on what to do?