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All iPads iPads replacing Pen & Paper
- Thread starter GRMM
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Does anyone have any thoughts on the Adonit line of styluses (particularly the Jot Pro or Jot Classic) compared with the Musemee Notier V2? The Notier V2 is cheaper by about $10 on Amazon compared with the Jot Pro and replacement tips can also be purchased through Amazon for a decent price, whereas the Adonit tips are massively marked up on Amazon. From what I can gather, the Notier V2 is lighter and reviews seem to be mixed as to which stylus performs better and is more durable. The durability is the point that I'm most interested in.
For the past two weeks I've been using a stylus with the mesh tip, approximately $3 from eBay. Compared with the rubber-tip stylus (a generic one that came with my iPad's case), the mesh tip is apparently less sensitive. Simply touching the rubber tip to the iPad causes detection, whereas a bit of force needs to be applied with the mesh tip. Despite this, I've used it all day while interviewing patients and taking notes while recording information from charts and other medical staff and didn't feel any fatigue. I prefer the mesh tip to the rubber tip because it feels a bit more durable. My only complaint is that the tip is still quite thick, which forces me to write with larger strokes and thus slows me down.
In an effort to give a speed boost to my writing I've been looking into the "precision tip" styluses. I ended up going with the Adonit Jot Pro instead of the Notier Musemee V2 given that the Jot Pro was a better-known entity. I also purchased an Otterbox Defender case to provide better protection for the iPad Mini in general and to provide a screen protector to guard against microscratches that people report with these types of styluses. All of the reviews about the Jot Pro are true: I noted a few microscratches here and there (but nothing major), and the stylus was practically unusable right out of the box due to "skipping." Essentially, the stylus was very inconsistent about being detected by the iPad when placed on the screen. This was true both with and without the screen protector. (The Otterbox Defender's screen protector doesn't seem to dampen sensitivity and while it doesn't feel quite as pleasing as the iPad's glass, sliding my fingers over it isn't bad at all.)
As documented by others, the solution is to apply a little bit of thermal paste between the stylus ballpoint and the writing disc. I purchased some low-end, silicone-based thermal paste from Radioshack for less than $4, barely touched the ballpoint to the tip of some thermal paste that was on the back of the cap of the thermal paste tube, and then reconnected it with the disc. It now works flawlessly. I find it horribly embarrassing for Adonit that they're selling this product with a design flaw that seems so simple to fix. In testing at home I find that I can write with smaller strokes and still have great accuracy. I will put the stylus into service next week to see how it holds up to real-world usage. Both my mesh-tip and rubber-tip styluses will be with me as backups in case of any problems.
In an effort to give a speed boost to my writing I've been looking into the "precision tip" styluses. I ended up going with the Adonit Jot Pro instead of the Notier Musemee V2 given that the Jot Pro was a better-known entity. I also purchased an Otterbox Defender case to provide better protection for the iPad Mini in general and to provide a screen protector to guard against microscratches that people report with these types of styluses. All of the reviews about the Jot Pro are true: I noted a few microscratches here and there (but nothing major), and the stylus was practically unusable right out of the box due to "skipping." Essentially, the stylus was very inconsistent about being detected by the iPad when placed on the screen. This was true both with and without the screen protector. (The Otterbox Defender's screen protector doesn't seem to dampen sensitivity and while it doesn't feel quite as pleasing as the iPad's glass, sliding my fingers over it isn't bad at all.)
As documented by others, the solution is to apply a little bit of thermal paste between the stylus ballpoint and the writing disc. I purchased some low-end, silicone-based thermal paste from Radioshack for less than $4, barely touched the ballpoint to the tip of some thermal paste that was on the back of the cap of the thermal paste tube, and then reconnected it with the disc. It now works flawlessly. I find it horribly embarrassing for Adonit that they're selling this product with a design flaw that seems so simple to fix. In testing at home I find that I can write with smaller strokes and still have great accuracy. I will put the stylus into service next week to see how it holds up to real-world usage. Both my mesh-tip and rubber-tip styluses will be with me as backups in case of any problems.
Hey, just want to know your thoughts/opinion on why you chose to go with the Jot Pro over the Jot Touch (if you considered the Jot Touch in the first place, that is).
The reason is because I am thinking of purchasing one of these for college note taking on my iPad (App: GoodNotes)
(Ex. Price, if the 2 buttons on Jot Touch get in your way while writing - if they weren't really useless in your case, palm rejection isn't good, etc)
Thanks in advance.
I am probably going to be flamed here for saying this but I really think it is worth saying. Let me preface by stating I am an iOS and Apple fan. I have a mini, two iPads, iPhone 5 and two Macs.
That said, I would recommend the Note 8. With the Wacom digitizer layer, palm touches are almost a non issue. I too bought the jot pro for my iPads and it's just not the same. The inking isn't as crisp and not pressure sensitive.
I recommend at least trying both options out (maybe at a local Bestbuy) comparing note taking with the S-pen vs the stylus on the iPad. The S-pen was a little thin for my hands so I got the S-pen holder which is the same size as one of those Pilot PHd pens. I'd really like to try the Surface Pro with their pen since it too has the Wacom technology and MS OneNote is supposed to be awesome, but I refuse to pay 1000 for a Microsoft product.
Good luck and hope you find the right option. Each person is different and is looking for something specific.
That said, I would recommend the Note 8. With the Wacom digitizer layer, palm touches are almost a non issue. I too bought the jot pro for my iPads and it's just not the same. The inking isn't as crisp and not pressure sensitive.
I recommend at least trying both options out (maybe at a local Bestbuy) comparing note taking with the S-pen vs the stylus on the iPad. The S-pen was a little thin for my hands so I got the S-pen holder which is the same size as one of those Pilot PHd pens. I'd really like to try the Surface Pro with their pen since it too has the Wacom technology and MS OneNote is supposed to be awesome, but I refuse to pay 1000 for a Microsoft product.
Good luck and hope you find the right option. Each person is different and is looking for something specific.
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Short answer: it was a matter of cost, features, and personal needs.
I use Notability on my iPad for all note-taking that I do, and heavily utilize the "writing box" feature (I'm not sure what it's officially called). This means that my pen strokes are always at the bottom of the iPad's screen, and it is extremely rare that I have issues with accidental input from my hand brushing against the screen. Preventing accidental input seems like it would be the headline feature of the Jot Touch yet I don't need it. (Reviews from Amazon are a bit mixed on how well the feature works - notably, you need to be using an application which supports it, and as far as I can tell Notability does not. I don't know about GoodNotes.)
Back in graduate school I used a Wacom Bamboo with my computer to add hand-written input to my class notes. The Bamboo supports pressure sensitivity but to be honest it wasn't a feature that contributed anything to my notes. Thus I didn't feel that the pressure sensitivity feature of the Jot Touch would be useful to me either. But I was just writing equations and drawing graphs and basic figures; it would be a different story for an artist, I'm sure.
Back in undergrad I used a drawing tablet similar to the Bamboo but a bit more crude. The most notable difference in my opinion was the stylus requirement for a battery: the no-name tablet stylus needed one, while the Bamboo stylus did not. Even though I wasn't cycling batteries heavily I can't tell you how much of a pain it was to have a battery-powered stylus, and how much of a relief the Bamboo was by comparison. I would guess that the Jot Touch behaves like a Jot Pro once the battery runs out but I'm already managing battery levels for a few other devices each day and I didn't care to have my stylus add to that.
Basically, I was looking at paying 3x the cost for the Jot Touch over the Jot Pro (which I already felt was priced higher than I wanted to pay) and I wouldn't be gaining any useful features even if my application of choice supported them. If anything, the battery would represent a drag on me, as would fumbling with the Bluetooth link (although the Bluetooth linking would be fine in a classroom setting).
I've pretty much completely moved away from pen and paper. But my needs were pretty simple.
One thing I learned was to NOTE use Pages for iPad. Why? Because even though Pages app lets you create folders it doesn't even have a basic search feature like the other free or much cheaper apps have.
Finding the notes you actually need to review is difficult in the Pages app. I'm not sure why Apple failed to include the search feature in its document creating app. All their other apps have the search feature.
I've been requesting it through Apple but its never been included in any updates. So I moved on.
One thing I learned was to NOTE use Pages for iPad. Why? Because even though Pages app lets you create folders it doesn't even have a basic search feature like the other free or much cheaper apps have.
Finding the notes you actually need to review is difficult in the Pages app. I'm not sure why Apple failed to include the search feature in its document creating app. All their other apps have the search feature.
I've been requesting it through Apple but its never been included in any updates. So I moved on.
Hey, just a curious question for those of you who use the iPad to take notes via text/stylus - do you mostly use the iPad in the landscape or portrait orientation and why?
Mostly portrait. It's easier to hold in one hand (particularly important for the iPad Mini) and when I would be taking notes on class handouts I appreciated being able to see more of the handout.
I've recently started to utilize the landscape orientation when I'm doing things like copying information into a note while at a desk. The reason is simple, although I didn't realize it until recently: using Notability's magnified writing box, there is more space to write when in landscape mode than in portrait mode. This means fewer box shifts are required to move across a page, saving a small amount of time in the process.
My iPad is replacing my sketch book this I know. I don't see the point in hand writing notes when I have a bluetooth keyboard and a .doc creator app. It is streamlining the process though. I look forward to the day when Apple upgrades the touch hardware so it's a little more delicate.
Oo.. I've been switching back and forth wondering what's best.. With portrait, you get a paper-like feel and view with less side to side hand room making it feel a bit "cramped."
While with landscape you get spacious hand room, but at the same time you can't get the same feel as a paper where you can clearly overview the whole document..
I can't decide.. A bit pedantic aren't I?..
Oo.. I've been switching back and forth wondering what's best.. With portrait, you get a paper-like feel and view with less side to side hand room making it feel a bit "cramped."
While with landscape you get spacious hand room, but at the same time you can't get the same feel as a paper where you can clearly overview the whole document..
I can't decide.. A bit pedantic aren't I?..
I started using Note Taker HD on landscape mode, then I change to portrait and I really like it. It's easier not to leave any marks on the page.
An update on my stylus, the TruGlide Pro: really great stylus, it glides over the screen, but after using it almost everyday after a little more than a month I've noticed that the tip as as responsive as it was when new. I think it is because the tip has loose its shape.
I'm thinking on getting the Cosmonaut stylus, has anyone tried it?
Yesterday I downloaded Notability. Great app, extremely good ink engine, your handwritting looks just like if you're writing on paper. Note Taker HD has more options like tables and graphs but the quality of the handwriting is MUCH better on Notability.
A big plus for Noteability is that there is something called auto sync. What this does is automatically save the notes you want to Google Drive, Dropbox, or whatever cloud service you use in PDF or the format you choose.
A big plus for Noteability is that there is something called auto sync. What this does is automatically save the notes you want to Google Drive, Dropbox, or whatever cloud service you use in PDF or the format you choose.
I've been having nothing but trouble with my Jot Pro. Right out of the box it wasn't registering strokes regularly on my iPads. I tried the "thermal paste" fix and had flawless performance for about one full day, but then it went back to not registering regularly. I tried reapplying thermal paste but it didn't help. I tried wiping my screen and the disc base, but that didn't help either. This isn't used in a dirty environment, it was bought new, and it was just days old.
Adonit's support has been wonderful, and they sent me replacement discs and parts. It hasn't helped. We're up to replacing the entire stylus. I have a hard time believing that the stylus itself could be defective, but I'm willing to try.
Please let us know if you continue to receive flawless performance with your Jot Pro. Based on complaints around the internet, it seems like many users are luckier than me with their Jot Pros, but they still develop issues within days to weeks.
Pity the grid is there. I'm sure it's handy for writing but it makes reading a tad cluttered.
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There are a handful of apps that will record sound and let you write/draw notes or even take photos that are tagged to the time code.
A separate recorder isn't perfect either. It's only has good as the microphone, the room and the placement. Same as an iPhone or iPad.
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I rather agree with this. Now that Apple has perfected squeezing more pixels than the average human eye can see into their displays perhaps its time to work on the touch quality of the screens. Finer touch in particular. And built in palm rest etc.
Had replaced pen and paper with my iPad long ago (when the first apps began appearing) and haven't switched back since. I moved from Notes Plus (Viet did a great job with this but it's too cumbersome for my taste) to NoteTaker HD to Notability to Penultimate to 2 other ones (cannot remember names) and then finally back to Notability.
Found Notability to be best for my purposes: take out stylus, take out iPad, lock orientation, take notes, close app (let app automatically upload to Dropbox once I exit note) and do other work.
Found Notability to be best for my purposes: take out stylus, take out iPad, lock orientation, take notes, close app (let app automatically upload to Dropbox once I exit note) and do other work.
I'm a medical student and I use Notability + a new trent capacitive stylus for all of my classes. IMO I think that whether or not this can be accomplished depends on how you are doing it.
For me, I am not writing that much because in my courses we have a coursepack (that the school produces) which has pretty much everything you need in it that you use to study and during lectures we go over them and maybe fill out a blank here or a blank there or write any extra notes or annotations if needed.
If I was to literally take notes on a blank page (no course pack) and just be writing that way it wouldn't be very efficient. You can't really match the speed of writing with a pen in paper, but thats just my opinion.
tldr; it depends on how much you are writing and how fast you need to write it during lectures.
I have completely eliminated books + coursepacks and just carry my ipad and a stylus to classes.
For me, I am not writing that much because in my courses we have a coursepack (that the school produces) which has pretty much everything you need in it that you use to study and during lectures we go over them and maybe fill out a blank here or a blank there or write any extra notes or annotations if needed.
If I was to literally take notes on a blank page (no course pack) and just be writing that way it wouldn't be very efficient. You can't really match the speed of writing with a pen in paper, but thats just my opinion.
tldr; it depends on how much you are writing and how fast you need to write it during lectures.
I have completely eliminated books + coursepacks and just carry my ipad and a stylus to classes.
I've been using Penultimate with very cheap rubber styluses for about a year and a half at work for note taking during meetings. This has worked out very well. I also switch over to Paper a lot to doodle.
At the moment, I have an original iPad. I might upgrade to iPad 5 if they make it significantly smaller or lighter.
At the moment, I have an original iPad. I might upgrade to iPad 5 if they make it significantly smaller or lighter.
You are absolutely right. I have used both, and the experience of writing on a Note 8 cannot be compared to the iPad's lackluster implementation. Its one of the things I hope will come to the iPad5 but I fear it wont.
I think that the greatest feature of Notability is the auto sync, I use Google Drive and not many apps have auto sync to GD. Another app that can auto sync to GD is Notes Plus, but I don't see what Notes Plus has than Notability doesn't that makes it cost around 6x more.
Penultimate is great for taking some notes. I find that the wrist guard is REALLY good, the only problem is that if you really you really want to take long notes and get a lot of information on a page you need a zoom box.
Anyway, I'm starting classes in a week and I'm going to be using Notability with the Jot Pro. I'll be posting some PDFs.
I look forward to reading more experiences and updates.
Penultimate is great for taking some notes. I find that the wrist guard is REALLY good, the only problem is that if you really you really want to take long notes and get a lot of information on a page you need a zoom box.
Anyway, I'm starting classes in a week and I'm going to be using Notability with the Jot Pro. I'll be posting some PDFs.
I look forward to reading more experiences and updates.