Hi, I am writing to report a serious problem that I believe requires an immediate fix, and to give some suggestions. I apologize if I will be a bit verbose but I ask you to read the whole message. I wouldn’t spend part of my time explaining what can be improved if I didn’t believe or appreciate your work. I also apologize for my English as it will not be grammatically perfect but I think it will be understandable to you.
BUG
LASSO TOOL: Sometimes when I select an area to that i want to copy or move, it is partially deleted. This bug occurs quite often, about half the time and makes this function totally unusable. If I take ten minutes to write something that I then want to move, or copy, and when I select it is canceled, then I won’t use that function because it will be only na waste of time. In addition, an area greater than the limited area is often selected.
It’s no necessaryto specify that this is an indispensable tool for many purposes. For example, since we cannot export pages from one document to another, the only way to do this is to use the lasso tool. It is also useful for write something on the upper part of the screen (which has greater sensitivity) and then move it to the lower part where writing is less precise.
I therefore believe that this bug needs an immediate hotfix that cannot be postponed. It is unacceptable that such a fundamental function cannot be used on such a expensive device.
RECOMMENDED FEATURES (sorted by level of utility)
MAGNIFIC WINDOW - ZOOM: First of all I want to clarify how fundamental the zoom function for a device specialized on reading and note taking. I read about several users who complained about this feature. I would like to clarify how important it is. Someone use this device only to write down summary notes. Anyway others like me, dont spend 870 euro (max series) or 550 euro (note series) if they cant take professional notes or carry out precise and detailed works. Many spend a similar amount only if the device can be used for university or work purposes. I personally would not have bought this tool if you had not added the zoom function in the 2.2 update. So thank you for adding this useful tool. However, I must agree with part of the community that it is currently difficult to use, at least if you want to work quickly. The problem is that the “palm rejection” function does not seem optimized, therefore without inactivating the touch (with the appropriate button) it is completely unusable. Conversely, if you deactivate the touch, you can write perfectly but it must be deactivated every time you have to scroll to another part of the page. Furthermore, even moving from one part of the page to another in zoom mode is tedious, often it is necessary to carry out 3 or 4 gestures to move to the desired area (this is because in this instance the screen is not very sensitive).
However, all the problems described could be solved if you introduce the “magnific window”. This function provides the appearance of a window at the bottom of the screen which is nothing more than “a zoom of a specific part of the page”. Using the pen in the “magnific window” it is possible to write at an enlarged size (as if the zoom had been activated), while using the pen elsewhere on the page it is possible to move the zoom region. This would allow us to move very quickly from one region to another on the page, and maintain the precision that derives from the zoom function. Often in the zoom window there is also a limit identified by a line. When you write beyound this line the window advances automatically, this speed up the writing process.
This function is present in many professional note taking applications in IOS (such as “zoomnotes”, or “Goodnotes”) but also in some android applications. I believe it is a fundamental function and I want to clarify how much this function takes note-taking to a TOTALLY different level than the current one, also circumventing the problem of palm rejection since only the pen would be used. I ask you to take it seriously, honestly I think it is one of the first functions that we need.
LAYERS: This is an extraordinary function if you want to use the “note app” both for drawing or for taking notes. There is no need to explain why it’s essential to draw. It is also useful for taking notes however, because it allows you to add notes, sources, images, hypotheses and insights on other sub pages (layers). In this way it is possible to read and browse all the pages of a document quickly, and consult the annotations made in the “layers” only if necessary. In this way, there is no confusion and you have much more freedom of action. I think it is also very useful at university and academic level.
LINKS BETWEEN NOTES: If the addition of layers is not yet possible I suggest at least to introduce the possibility of adding hotlinks, links which if selected allow us to go instantly to another specific note. it would be much easier to move between notes and ideas. In many third-party applications it is possible and it would allow us to organize our ideas more precisely and freely, moving from one work to another.
SPILT-SCEEN ON READING APP: Personally I believe that the split-screen function for PDFs is not very usable at present (although I am aware that many appreciate it a lot). However, I believe it can be optimized. Even in a device like the boox max, using only half the screen in “landscape” mode is too reductive for both reading and writing. It is true that you can use the zoom function to annotate, but for the reasons I have explained above it is still difficult to use without the “magnifi window”. In the meantime, however, it would acquire a considerable greater utility if the split-screem could be used in “portrait mode”, with the pdf on top and the note on the bottom. In this way both pages (that of the pdf and that of the note) would have their normal width. Obviously it would be necessary to add a sidebar that allows us to scroll both pages for their full size. However, it should be an additional function to the current one and not a replace since I understand that a large part of the community love the current mode.
LANDSCAPE MODE ON NOTE APP: It would be useful to be able to consult the notes we take in landscape mode. In fact, if we export them as pdf they lose definition. Displaying them in a third app for pdf is therefore less clear, this is especially true if you write very thin.
EXPORT NOTES ON NATIVE FORMAT: the main reason that justifies the transition from real to digital paper is to be able to change whatever you write. For this reason it is essential to be able to edit a note that we have stored on the PC. As someone has suggested, it would be sufficient to have the possibility to export a single folder with the different notes. It would be helpful if all notes are categorized and saved as separate entities, so that we can move them individually beetween device and pc. I think it’s a not insignificant detail, please take it into consideration.
A BETTER SCREENSHOT FUNCTION: It would be useful to crop the screenshots. It is however possible to do it through third-party apps so it is not a feature that requires immediate improvement. It would be nice to be able to import the images into the notes app with the original colors. Obviously they would not be viewable in current devices, but they could be useful if in the future you wanted to transfer the documents to a color device, or to quickly view them on the PC.
INFINITE BOARD AND NO LAG ON THIRD APP: Sometimes it can be useful to make “mind maps” that allow us to connect multiple topics together. Having an overview of a problem can help solve it. It would therefore be fantastic to have a virtually infinite page for a more linear organization of thought. I realize how difficult it can be to develop such a function. Alternatively, it would be very important to minimize the lag on third-party applications and optimize it. The “Squid” app has this function but is totally unusable in the “boox max 3”, both for the lag and for an inaccuracy issue that does not allow you to annotate precisely on the page. I have verified that other “devices” of which I will not specify the brand allow a precise writing on this application, albeit with the obvious time delay (lag issue).
A TIP FOR THE COMMUNITY
INSTANT SWITCH BETWEEN APP NOTE AND A THIRD PDF OR CHROME APP: “Taskbar” is the only application that i found to work. Through this application you can instantly switch from notes to “Xodo” (pdf reader) and go back to the note by clicking on the physical botton (the only present). It is also possible switch to Chrom and make various researches. However, if several research are made on the web and you want to instantly return to the “note app”, you must first open a new search window (the + button at the top of chrome bars) and then press “back”. You can customize the “taskbar” app to add the digital button"home" and “back”. It is also useful to disable the automatic collapse of the task bar from the settings. Otherwise it will take 2 steps to switch from one application to the next.
It is clear, however, that in this way it is impossible to modify the pdf because you have to use a third app for pdf with the conseguent lag issue. Honestly, this also seems to me a basic function that must be implemented as soon as possible.
Finally, I would like to thank the “onyx team” for their hard work. I abandoned an “ipad pro second gen” in favor of digital paper (e-ink) because my eyes can no longer stand normal lcd screens. Moreover, from various studies which show how harmful blue light can be and honestly after several years i feel its effects in person. I also believe that an e-ink screen is also helping the memorization process more effectively than an lcd but this is only my opinion. For all these reasons i think e-ink is the future, especially now that we are on the threshold of color ereaders. I have also tried other brands including “remarkable (first gen)” or “mimas” and I honestly believe that Onyx are the best. Each of your updates adds something new taking a step forward into the future. I can assure you that it is not the same with many other brands, sometimes in the past, after some updates I often wanted to downgrade the software version to the previous one because it was so unusable.
So I wish you good work and I trust that you will take my suggestions seriously, in particular the “magnific window”. Thanks and good job.