The Viwoods AI Paper isn’t your common pill. Instead of a shiny AMOLED or LCD display screen, it comes with an eye-friendly e-ink contact show and stylus, turning it into an Android-powered digital pocket book. It’s suitable with the Google Play Store, so you’ll be able to entry your favourite apps (like Kindle) and use it for rather more, nonetheless, and comes with its personal built-in AI assistant. It gained’t be for everybody, and that’s by design, however in the event you’re in search of a studying pill various to the Remarkable or Kindle Scribe, it’s an excellent possibility.
Viwoods AI Paper – Design and Features
Viwoods is a brand new firm, finishing its first Kickstarter solely late final yr. Despite being recent to the world of client electronics, it has debuted with a really sturdy first product. The Viwoods AI Paper is intuitive, progressive, and surprisingly versatile for an e-ink pill, and, even whereas the corporate is repeatedly updating it to include new options, it’s already competing with the preferred opponents which have, in some instances, a multi-year head begin.
The AI Paper is available in two varieties, the full-size 10.65-inch model I used to be despatched for testing and the extra compact AI Paper Mini, which has an 8.2-inch display screen and comes with a backlight the bigger model lacks. For this assessment, I’ll be specializing in the bigger model, however in the event you’re in search of one thing smaller, these are crucial variations to concentrate on.
The AI Paper falls right into a pill class that’s higher categorized as a Digital Notebook. You’re most likely accustomed to the Remarkable, which actually pushed this class into the mainstream. Digital Notebook tablets don’t declare to be do-everything units. Instead, they emphasize note-taking, writing, studying, and group. They’re much less vulnerable to trigger distraction and, when used correctly, can turn into a pivotal group and thought-management software.
Like its key opponents on this area, the AI Paper makes use of a paper-like e-ink show. In this case, the corporate has applied the Carta 1300, which affords improved distinction in comparison with older e-ink screens and, theoretically, needs to be probably the greatest on the market. Viwoods has performed a wonderful job of constructing the “paper” of the display screen look shiny, however the identical can’t be mentioned for a lot of the options on the market, just like the Boox Max, which is noticeably darker gray. The display screen has a decision of two,560 x 1,920, giving it 300 pixels per inch (PPI) of readability. It’s a excessive decision for an e-ink system and permits textual content and pictures to look crisp and readable.
Unlike OLED or LCD shows, e-ink works on a wholly completely different precept. It’s greatest considered a bit like an Etch-a-Sketch, the place the Etch-a-Sketch has a layer of magnetic filings beneath the display screen which might be then pulled upwards to create its strains. E-ink shows have a layer of black ink beneath the show that’s then pulled into place with the appliance of electrical energy. Once the picture has been fashioned, it does not must reset, which implies that, in principle, if you’re studying a ebook, every web page may be offered as a static picture, dramatically growing battery life and decreasing eye pressure. This high quality, together with the matte texture used for the display screen, works to make the show look rather more like a sheet of paper. Amazon popularized this tech with the unique Kindle and it has been successful for e-readers ever since.
This is true of all e-ink tablets, however the AI Paper takes its capabilities additional with Google Play Store entry. It does not include put in by default however means that you can add it as an app, supplying you with entry to an entire ecosystem of apps, together with Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Obsidian, and extra. This performance inherently takes away from its distraction-free nature, however the sluggish refresh fee of its e-ink display screen implies that it is unappealing to make use of the system for issues like YouTube or social media, so it evens out.
AI comes into play prominently, however may also be utterly ignored in the event you select to. There are three contact buttons on the underside, much like a traditional Android system, however the suitable proper button is devoted to summoning your AI agent. When held, you’ll be able to communicate a immediate which is then despatched to ChatGPT. This performance can also be constructed into its completely different studying and writing functions with fast instructions to research what’s on the web page, generate a brand new article based mostly on it, convert handwriting to textual content, or simply to summon an AI assistant. It additionally means that you can give you your personal customized instructions so that you needn’t retype a immediate each time.
Other tablets additionally characteristic AI help, resembling these from Boox, that are additionally based mostly on Android and have entry to the Google Play Store. After all, in the event you can obtain any Android app, that additionally means you’ll be able to obtain any Android-compatible LLM. What makes this completely different, nonetheless, is that Viwoods has given it the power to see and interpret something in your display screen versus simply answering textual content prompts.
This is particularly helpful performance for college kids. For instance, in case your professor has assigned you an article to learn, you’ll be able to generate summaries and examine aids shortly and simply just by making a immediate for it. You can even take handwritten notes at school after which have the AI transcribe these into written textual content that may then be accessed on a pc. The transcription course of is not excellent, particularly in case you have messier handwriting, but it surely’s seen enhancements for the reason that pill launched and is normally shut sufficient that I can perceive what I used to be trying to put in writing anyway.
Its conventional pocket book and organizational options are distinctive. The homepage is damaged into completely different sections for writing, group, drawing, and apps. For writing, there are 31 completely different templates you’ll be able to select from, together with all the pieces from regular lined paper to graphic organizers to music notation and even physique diagrams for clothes design. Templates are primarily backgrounds which you could write on and take the place of getting a paper model of the sheet or organizer.
When you’re prepared to put in writing, you’ll be able to select from seven completely different implements, together with a calligraphy pen, pencil, spotlight, and a “thinker” which seems to be like a dry erase marker. The stylus makes use of the Wacom customary EMR (electro-magnetic resonance) stylus, which is battery-free, has 4096 ranges of strain sensitivity, and is ready to detect when the stylus is tilted. This is extremely helpful when drawing because it means that you can shade with the pencil software.
The pill has a bundle of neat options that go together with this. Each “be aware” may be tagged for simple group and looking them up later. Notepads help you create layers, much like a photograph editor, so you’ll be able to add to drawings and be aware pages with out marring something you’ve written beneath. If you’re drawing a form, merely holding the stylus in place on the finish of your stroke transforms it into an ideal model of that form with straight strains and curves for circles.
And, after all, it may be used as a reader. It natively helps PDFs and EPUB ebooks, however downloading the Kindle app from the Play Store provides you full entry to your Kindle Library as effectively. Reading on e-ink is as shut as you will get to paper with out it truly being paper, and because of its 300 PPI display screen, letters are simply as crisp as a Kindle Paperwhite.
Getting paperwork onto and off of the system may be performed in a number of alternative ways. You can add your paperwork to the AI Paper administration web site they usually’ll mechanically sync to the system the following time it’s on-line or you’ll be able to join it to your PC with a USB Type-C cable and transfer recordsdata on or off like another mass storage system. You can even e-mail paperwork or sync them to the cloud.
Finally, the AI Paper comes with a 4,100mAh battery that may final round per week when writing two hours a day. This necessitates turning the WiFi off, nonetheless, and truly left me a bit disenchanted. One of the downsides of operating Android and having these further capabilities is that they drain the battery considerably sooner. Per week isn’t dangerous, however in the event you’re taking it to a number of courses a day after which utilizing it for assignments, it gained’t even final that lengthy. Viwoods charges it for a month in standby, which does maintain true, so in the event you’re off on trip or seasonal break, it ought to nonetheless have juice left whenever you return.
Viwoods AI Paper – Performance
I’ve examined the AI Paper alongside three different main e-ink tablets (a part of an upcoming characteristic), and all of those units are after comparable issues: a paper-like writing expertise, fewer distractions, supporting your training and work life, and bettering your group. That side-by-side comparability has highlighted simply how a lot the Viwoods AI Paper has been capable of stand out regardless of the corporate being so new.
For starters, that is the very best implementation of the Carta 1300 show but. One of essentially the most disappointing qualities of it, as applied in different tablets just like the Boox Max, is that the display screen is unusually darkish. Whites are inclined to look darkish grey, which might influence readability. The Al Paper is the whitest implementation I’ve seen thus far, providing superb distinction and readability.
The writing expertise can also be nice. I would not say it is like paper precisely, however the display screen has a minute texture that creates a little bit of scratchiness when writing. It feels good in the event you’ve by no means written on an e-ink pill earlier than; it takes just a little getting used to, however I discovered it a lot simpler than studying to put in writing with a stylus on my Android pill and its clean, glassy floor (I ultimately gave up on that). The show additionally makes use of a comfortable floor as a substitute of onerous glass, which helps it to really feel a bit extra pure too.
The AI Paper was my first e-ink pill, so I needed to undergo that studying curve transitioning from paper and typing completely. I discovered it pretty simple to adapt to. It does take a minute to study its completely different instruments, but it surely’s very well designed with intuitive options like lassoing to erase giant bits of textual content or drawing.
Sketching on the pill was additionally surprisingly good. In reality, it is probably the greatest. This is basically due to its number of writing implements. I particularly appreciated the pencil. It simply felt so pure to make use of, rather more so than I’d have anticipated any digital writing instrument to really feel. You can naturally tilt and angle it for shading with full strain sensitivity to dial in gradients. This actually makes an enormous distinction and works very effectively with the strain settings hidden within the pill’s menu system. Between the 2, you’ll be able to actually dial within the feeling to make superior sketches actually doable on this pill.
I just like the stylus, although I do assume it might really feel a bit extra premium. It’s easy, slim, and plastic. At the identical time, it appears like a traditional pencil and has a flat part to relaxation your thumb and preserve it oriented appropriately. There’s a button on this part that can be utilized for erasing, or you’ll be able to flip it over and use the bottom as an eraser. It’s no Lamy, but it surely feels good to make use of. It additionally made me want different manufacturers began making spring-loaded nibs. If you push onerous sufficient, the nib gives some resistance that nearly feels such as you’re digging into the web page.
The AI Paper is at its greatest whenever you actively make it a every day companion. I’m discovering that to be true of all of those tablets, and maybe it goes with out saying. Even so, I’ve made some extent to hold it in conditions after I would not usually carry a pocket book. Doing so, and utilizing the key phrase system, I’ve discovered that I’m extra organized and fewer forgetful. I work throughout a number of organizations, and easily utilizing the AI Paper so repeatedly has impressed me to maintain a every day organizer and to-do record. As an grownup with ADHD, I’ve give you plenty of methods to handle, however by no means stepped right into a every day planner with such regularity.
Running on Android additionally has advantages in the event you favor to work in apps that do not come preloaded or to make use of peripherals like a Bluetooth keyboard. This was additionally one thing I used to be extremely considering, as I’ve been a fan of the Astrohaus Freewrite for fairly a while, a tool that makes use of an e-ink display screen as a part of its try to be a contemporary typewriter. Since I do most of my writing in Google Docs, I downloaded the app, linked a wi-fi mechanical keyboard, and was off to the races. It labored exceptionally effectively.
Despite feeling fairly totally featured, the Viwoods Al Paper remains to be a piece in progress. The firm has been releasing updates repeatedly, including options just like the aforementioned tap-and-hold auto-shapes. It additionally nonetheless wants some options to provide it parity with opponents just like the Supernote, resembling the power so as to add a number of key phrases to a doc for extra superior sorting and connecting concepts.
The greatest challenge I personally encountered, nonetheless, was ghosting. Because of the best way the show expertise works, all e-ink shows have some type of picture retention when altering screens. It’s not everlasting like it’s with OLED gaming screens, however it may be distracting. While it isn’t horrible, it’s undoubtedly noticeable. More noticeable than I anticipated. Thankfully, you’ll be able to simply refresh the display screen by dragging down from the highest left nook, which wipes these away.
You can even set the display screen to completely different refresh speeds which reduces this. That comes with a trade-off, nonetheless. You can select from Best Display, Fast Mode, and Ultra Fast Mode. Each of the 2 steps up softens the picture. So whereas it’s doable to make the ghosts much less seen, it’s additionally not one thing I normally wished to do when a easy swipe would get rid of them solely.
