Viwoods AiPaper (10”) Part 4: The Final Verdict

[@jeffreymoss]

There is a pending software update from Viwoods which should drop by the end of the month. When it does, I'll take a look and then post a quick update video to note the changes.

[@MichaelPotterinMichigan]

Thanks Jeff for this insightful presentation of the ePaper market. Your helpful categorization highlights the design and philosophy tradeoffs made by the manufacturer. This can help set realistic expectations for our individual use. Thanks again!

[@SpikedSilver]

Viwoods or Supernote for notetaking primarily, and reading secondary?

[@dorishsiao688]

Great review, I really like the chart comparing the different market segments for different devices. I love Supernote and Boox Go 10.3. I was curious about the AiPaper and whether it's similar to Boox.

[@jeffreymoss]

I'm also curious to see how much Viwoods bridges the gap between reMarkable and Boox. I'm told there's a beta out there that gives the Viwoods access to the Google Play Store. But even with that in place, the Reader app on the Boox is way more sophisticated than what Viwoods has. So if a user were big on sideloading documents, the Boox would be the better choice, and I suspect that will be the case for a while.

[@arturodeguzman]

Is there a way to back up the device? I love the device and meeting / daily integration. But I fear replacing a defective device means starting all over all the time. Exporting as a back up method seems to be a workaround.

[@jeffreymoss]

Yes, by transferring files to the viwoods transfer center and then downloading onto your computer. There is the OneDrive and pCloud apps, so you can manually upload/backup files that way as well.

[@arturodeguzman]

@jeffreymoss thank you.

[@computer__eyez]

Thank you, I went ahead and purchased boox go 10.3 on Amazon. Once you brought up pdfs

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

I wish it had a front light.

[@GaryOliver-my3pp]

helpful review! please in future can you add one more check: transferability of notes to other devices

[@jeffreymoss]

Sure. Generally speaking, notebook formats are proprietary. So in order to move them between devices, they need to be converted into a universal format, PDFs being the best example. With Viwoods, you can download any files you upload into PDF formats, and that can be done in bulk. Boox also allows download of notes from their cloud services into PDFs, but I'm not sure if that can be done in bulk or file by file.

[@editorenbici]

I think the mini is in a different category because is the only small one with wacom stylus and even have backlight, so is great to take notes in any place. The big ones need a desk. And that categories are great, and is not one for schools for taking notes and read textbooks. The Viwoods Mini is going near, but need to be more resistant (may be a better case) and a way to integrate with LMS.

[@natgy01]

Jeffrey, please could you also share your affiliate link for viwoods?

[@jeffreymoss]

You just need to go into the Viwoods store and then use "Jeffrey" under the discount code. No special link. Here's the store link: viwoods.com/. The discount is only good for the larger device.

[@sisterparfums]

I think that rmk should have add some slight options to keep the brain focus honestly I’m only missing a internet option and a kindle book . All the other I can stay without . The only reason I have to leave rmk 2

[@khoanguyenvan7645]

What is better Viwoods Ai paper or boox note air 4c? Would you please share your experience? Thanks

[@jeffreymoss]

I think these two devices appeal to different people. I'm about to release a video where I will rank the NA4C above the Viwoods AIPaper, and I think that's my overall assessment, but I do find myself using the AIPaper more for my weekend lists, etc. Boox offers a much more detailed native notetaking and reading apps, so if that's your thing, you won't want a Viwoods. But if you were leaning more toward reMarkable, then Viwoods is a solid alternative to reMarkable in my mind. I could go into more detail, but it would be helpful to know your use case before I could comment any further. But in general, those are my thoughts.

[@khoanguyenvan7645]

@@jeffreymossi am Phd student. I have small kobo clara for reading books, stories. I have iphone for youtube and scocial media. I indeed need a writing device for take note from meetings, seminars, laboratory works, checking calendar for appointments/to do list. I mostly read research articles (pdf file) on computer which has large screen. These days, i am watching your videos about boox go 10.3 and boox note air 4c. However, i saw one of your comment about viwoods ai paper. That makes me harder to choose. I have never write on any device yet. Color or blacknwhite is not a big issue but if have, i can change color or highlight to recognise quickly. Would you please recommend a device in my case? Many thanks!!!

[@jeffreymoss]

@@khoanguyenvan7645 The key gap between Boox and Viwoods, in my mind, is about references in notes. With Boox, you can tag words to search on later, you can search on certain symbols (within a notebook), and you can search on handwriting (although this can be slow). With Viwoods, you can just set tags for a given page, which then can be searched on. So Boox is much more powerful in that regard. I like Viwoods for more casual notetaking, where I don't need to search for to-dos, etc. So I'm thinking Boox might be the better option for you. But really, and I'm sorry to complicate things further, I think the Supernote is the best notetaking device out there, and they just released the Manta. I haven't reviewed that yet, but I expect it to be great. I have used my Supernote A5X (predecessor to the Manta) for almost three years now, every day at work. To try to make things a bit easier, you could make the argument that for notetaking Supernote is the better device, but for reading documents (PDFs, etc.) Boox is more powerful. So if your focus is more notetaking, Supernote. If you are big on annotating PDFs, Boox. That's a bit reductionist, but I think that's a fair comment nonetheless.

[@khoanguyenvan7645]

@@jeffreymoss Thank you so much for your opinion. I like supernote but the price for a5x2 is high for me. I just watched your recent video. maybe I will decide to note 4c or go 10.3. Thanks a lot

[@Change-1820]

Great review as always. What do you think about the $799 list price that they are constantly discounting? Personally, I think that seems a little ridiculous for a 10.65 inch device and way outside the market. $499 seems like it should be the real price instead of inflating it. Since you are the E-Team's marketing guru, I thought I would throw that out.

[@jeffreymoss]

I wonder if the $799 is real. We certainly haven't seen that without a discount at this stage. I just chalk that price point up to marketing. If it were real, Viwoods would be in big trouble with this device, because it would not be competitively priced.

[@indirawilliams9610]

Are you able to side load Google calendar? How good is the calendar that's already there?

[@jeffreymoss]

You can side load apps apparently, as long as you have the APK file. However, I have not done that myself. You may want to ask this question on the new Viwoods subreddit, as I think someone there might be able to provide a more competent answer. However, in terms of the native calendar, I'd say it's okay. It honestly would benefit from Google or Outlook integration, in my mind.

[@sisterparfums]

For a normal keeping notes how many hours for the ai paper and the link please . Just one hour everyday notes .

[@jeffreymoss]

If you are just taking about an hour of notes throughout the day, then I'd think the device would easily last a week which is standard for devices these days.

[@sisterparfums]

@@jeffreymoss merci 👌🏼

[@sisterparfums]

Which one would you advise between the mini and normal size ? Because i already have a rm2 so wanted a more compact but issue is the glass screen if its a big jump from the rm2 writing experience that i love so much .. plus some talked about the heat of the screen of the mini did you went true this and was it slow in the overall ? (i feel that your review conclusion of the mini was less precise for the part 4 than this one )

[@jeffreymoss]

I like them both, so it's really down to use case/preferences, I suppose. I think I heard about the heat issue, but I haven't experienced it myself. Both devices are generally snappy, but I found the mini to be snappier because there wasn't any software adjustments to prevent accidental button pushes which seems to be the case with the AiPaper.

[@sisterparfums]

@@jeffreymoss amazing thank you so I guess you will maybe between the two sizes tend to use more the mini then the normal or same same ?

[@jeffreymoss]

@@sisterparfums I think the larger size is the one I use the most.

[@sisterparfums]

@@jeffreymoss merci 👌🏼

[@Mountainsarehome]

Could you comment on handwritten text aliasing? I just got an AiPaper and was surprised how jaggedy my handwritten text is compared to the Go 10.3, which must have an anti-aliasing feature. Do you notice this aliasing? I have tried different pens with the same result so it’s not the pen.

[@jeffreymoss]

I might need clarification here. Are you saying that when you write on the screen, the writing looks jagged? If so, then I haven't noticed that on mine. If I missed the question, please clarify and I'll give it another go.

[@Mountainsarehome]

@ Yes, that’s correct. When I write on the AiPaper, the letters have quite a bit of aliasing (jagged edges).

[@jeffreymoss]

@@Mountainsarehome I haven't noticed that at all, but I've been mainly using the fineliner and calligraphy pens, both of which have been quite smooth for me.

[@sisterparfums]

Which one would you advise between the mini and normal size ? Because i already have a rm2 so wanted a more compact but issue is the glass screen if its a big jump from the rm2 writing experience that i love so much .. plus some talked about the heat of the screen of the mini did you went true this and was it slow in the overall ? (i feel that your review conclusion of the mini was less precise for the part 4 than this one )