Is the Viwoods AI Paper Mini as Good as the Bigger Brother?

[@KitBetts-Masters]

Let me know any thoughts you have about the Viwoods and help other people make a buying decision. Personally I'd recommend checking where they are at on their software update journey if you are considering getting one. *Update* I have a correction to make, although my device was still on version 0.8.1, it needed a full manual flash to update it, Viwoods have now sent me the instructions, and I've updated it and it should now update automatically. Good news. I'll be back with an update on using it, and whether that changes any of my conclusions, later. :-) *Viwoods AI Paper* and *AI Paper Mini* : viwoods.com/?ref=KITBETTSMASTERS (Now out of kickstarter, $50 discount applied at checkout with this link, or code KITBETTSMASTERS.) (This is an affiliate link, I may earn commission from sales made through them, there is no extra cost to you and your support enables me to keep making this review content for you. Kind thanks! :-)

[@xJuiceNationx]

Where is the update?? Would love to see your thoughts on the version with the updated software. I’ve had one on my Amazon’s kart for too long

[@Gallery90]

Only a few days into the Mini, and it just feel like a mature product that you’d buy. I’m not even sure mine has the latest firmware, though it does report that it is. One area that Viwoods seems not to have fully grasped is what it takes to downscale a full-size tablet to one that it half the size. It shows with the bottom buttons, and how the left- and right-hand buttons end up right under the heel of your hand when writing - left button for lefties and right button for righties. The only way to deal with that is to totally turn off all three buttons, and who wants to give up Page Back and Home? For the Mini, they should have sucked it up and put just two buttons on the bottom bezel. That would have reduced the problem a little. The suggestion I made to allow just the right button to be disabled did not go over very well, Viwood citing the extensive interaction between multiple programs on the platform. Without a physical do-over, the best option for users is still to give them the ability to select “Off” or functions from a list and apply that to any of the three buttons - and they should consider moving this up in their priority list. I’m not big into the AI elements of the AiPaper devices. I do like the six widget panels and the integration that is possible between them, while still allowing full access (eventually) to Google Plan. These are the machines that Boox should have come out with. But I’m not sure if they’ll ever come up with a way to synch an AiPaper with an AiPaper Mini. Also, don’t throw shade on the Mini’s front light. Consider the use case and the lighting environments where you might be using a smaller device. No front light on the large model, and front light on the Mini makes sense to me. (Kinda like my current Boox Go 10.3 and Nova Air 2 pairing).

[@Mountainsarehome]

The AiPaper has a user manual now as of the late October update. Would love to see a full review of the post-production AiPaper now that it’s gone through a few updates.

[@xJuiceNationx]

NEED the updated review with 3.x.x Its on sale right now and want to pick it up. I dont want to get the larger size, and the supernote feels too small. 8.2 with a good enough OS is what im looking for

[@DarkroomZombie]

I considered the Viwoods mini before buying the SuperNote Nomad. In the end it just cost way to much. Twice as much as what I got the nomad for. Still looks like a cool device.

[@adangranados4009]

i just bought it for 425 USD. The supernote came out to about 480 USD with the pen and case.

[@DarkroomZombie]

@@adangranados4009 I got my supernote for $368.88 USD total price $299 for A6X2 $49 for the canvas folio and $20.88 tax.

[@DarkroomZombie]

@@adangranados4009 I got my Supernote for way less than both of those prices. $368.88 ($299 for the tablet, $49 for folio case and $20.88 for sales tax) I just ended using a wacom EMR pen we already owned that was super cheap. SuperNote works awesome for me, love it. When I bought my SuperNote the Viwood Mini was list price on their website $599.00 way more than SN was.

[@DarkroomZombie]

@@adangranados4009 Supernote only cost me $368. Not sure where you got $480 from?

[@editorenbici]

Just get it yesterday! 😁 Version 3.0.4

[@nathaliegeorge9035]

And what do you think about it? :)

[@andrewgoh2630]

Can you make a review on Xueyisheng X1? I could hardly find news on it and what tech it uses but sources are saying they are using a completely different e-ink tech.

[@Adam-zx6ko]

I am looking at the viwoods ai paper and the boox 10.3 I found the 10.3 was a little too dark in my office. Is the viwoods any brighter as it looks slightly whiter

[@jackm1310]

This AI wishlist would require millions of dollars of rnd, realistically this will only come from the big players, apple, microsoft, google

[@oxfordyazuka3739]

I was just searching for a mini pad a couple days ago - crazy

[@karlmunford7000]

I guess it's another case of needing to bring in the cash to pay the piper before the product is complete, while having a determination to update all devices in the near future to a complete version. However, as with regards to hardware, I do think positioning those bottom buttons in an area where your wrist and forearm will come into contact with regularly is a poor design decision... unless they can fix it with some really fancy code.

[@tempanon8672]

Your wishlist about how to use AI to learn from your writing seamlessly is so cool on paper, it kinda ruins everything else the device is supposed to be. Like, now that's ALL I'd want. ":P

[@alez86]

I saw your reviews before the end of the Kickstarter campaign and they weren't so negative... so I decided to purchase this device. But now, after the campaign ended, the real review has come out. It doesn't seem very fair on your part.

[@KitBetts-Masters]

@@alez86 Hello, yes I've been pretty positive about the larger of the two devices, it is good hardware. The only other video I've made featuring the mini was really just bringing the news that it exists and was out of Kickstarter. I'm sorry to hear that you feel let down by the device and my review. There's still lots to like about the device and most of what I've complained about here can be sorted with software updates. (I'm still on version 0!) I'm always very clear about my methodology for my full reviews, and that is by using them for two weeks at work. It is only by doing this that I notice many of the things that I do about devices. This means though that as I only have a limited amount of time it sometimes takes quite a while to get around to producing a full review, that's been the case here. Kind thanks for your comment.

[@adangranados4009]

I thought the are both the same tablet, just different sizes?

[@aunglin2888]

I think good size

[@LeftyPencil]

4:12 what app are you talking about?

[@KitBetts-Masters]

@@LeftyPencil Otter... It's good, link in description I think. At some point I'll make a full review of that.

[@larklandmorley]

They could learn from Apple Intelligence in how to integrate AI. It's very technically possible to add the notebooks to a customGPT in the background for further queries etc. Notion AI is not a bad alternative on a Android tablet but of course no real handwriting support.

[@Phoeagdor]

I would like your opinion on overheating. Another person used these devices over a two week period, they supposedly heat up after a two hour use. In his opinion - to a questionable amount. How did you find this. Your ideas on AI are spot on. Speech to text, taking a photo of written pages to text, word to image, other prompts, summarizing the interaction of all content etc - AI should have been considered for more. Good channel, not afraid to give and receive opinion..... which is all we have left, unless woke win and then we'll have to appease the gods of AI feelings. Stammer is more into fight club than e-tablets, so at least you're alright for awhile. Any feedback from any local purchaser of this product, would be great. It ships from Asia, custom duties and tax to where I'm at are 120 euros not including international shipping. Salutes.

[@gulpowizzard]

I second your thoughts about true AI device Kit. It annoys me that "AI devices" that we have right now are just regular devices with reduced ChatGPT app installed. We can't configure it, can't change the AI engine nor can we work offline - every single one requires internet connection while SLM could actually work of such Viwoods AI device. For example, I'm still waiting for a device that can convert handwriting to markdown so when you have tabular data, you get tabular markdown file contents. It is already possible, but not on those "AI devices" :(

[@aliawesome12fab]

at that price, anyone would just buy an iPad