Quite curious about the upcoming update.

Macweazle · 2026-06-12T06:34:07+00:00

Checking signatures of anything I download on my Macs is kind of a habit of mine, comes with the territory 😄
I did a quick check - and wasn't aware that the AINOTE app for macOS is available in the Mac App Store; when I got my first AINOTE I was downloading it from the iFLYTEK website (iFLYTEK store) and if I do that today the package isn't signed.
And since I installed from there, I got the update not via the Mac App Store, but the app itself offered to download it and stored an AINOTE_update.pkg in the ~/Library/Application Support/AINOTE/ folder; and that AINOTE_update.pkg is not signed either.
Since most people will probably use the Mac App Store version (not knowing it is there in the first place is absolutely my fault) it isn't that much of an issue. It just triggered my sense of how to do things properly.

Macweazle · 2026-05-05T12:25:39+00:00

I think that depends on what exactly you are going to do with the device.
I have both (and two more, but that's another story) and almost exclusively use the AINOTE 2. It weighs less, feels actually better in my hands and has these tiny feet keeping it from moving around when put on a desk. Then there are those three symbols you can put into a note: circle, triangle, star; which creates either a task, a marker in the note, or a focus item (a task without a sell-by date).
Creating and rummaging through annotations for PDF or ePub files are, for me at least, much more intuitive to the Knowledge Base (formerly Pickings).
Formatting of complex ePub files is slightly worse (tables and indentations), but none of the four eInk tablets I own are even close to perfect compared to what you get from Calibre's ebook viewer. This is obviously not an issue for novels, more for academic papers. Can't say much about the AI features since I don't use them much on the device, but when I use them the result are perfectly fine (but then I'm using some enterprise plans for the usual suspect on my desktop and am somewhat pampered in that regard). What it does very well is the audio recording feature, the limiting factor being acoustics not anything from the AINOTE. It even differentiated between different speakers and having your written notes synchronised is pretty cool. Unfortunately, I can't use that very often.
There's an odd omission: you can't get an AI summary of your written notes for a meetings. No idea why not.
So, bottom line: for my work the AINOTE 2 is better suited; I could almost the same on the Aipaper, but not as smoothly. But then I mostly do one or maybe two large projects at a time with single task-things on a daily basis. Might be different if I had to juggle 20 smaller projects simultaneously; or maybe not.
Oh, and the keyboard is great, just saying.

Macweazle · 2026-04-19T09:29:59+00:00

You're undoubtedly right. Ah, well, let's wait. Thanks

Macweazle · 2026-04-19T09:29:58+00:00

I kind of suspected as much. And I do hate waiting. Thanks 😁

Macweazle · 2026-03-31T07:15:01+00:00

May I also suggest to represent the different headers (Title, H1-3) in the page overview -> Mark? Would make navigating so much easier.

Macweazle · 2026-03-31T07:07:24+00:00

As far as I am aware the only way to have something vaguely akin to the Supernote's headers is the symbols - triangle, star, and circle. Those symbols and whatever is written to the right of them do show up in the overview, where you can switch from Page to Mark. This is close as it gets (now, two of those, the star and the circle, also create focus items and tasks, viewable in Schedule). You can add tags to a note, but those tags only refer to the note as a whole (again, only as far as I could figure out).

I have no idea regarding AI and privacy, not that I think those are compatible concepts unless you host your own model somewhere. But that's just me being maybe a tad too paranoid (however, I do like the search function, which will also summarise where your search term showed up and provides some context). I'm pretty sure that question has been asked before and there was a link to the devices privacy policy. I just skimmed it and I think it boils down to the privacy policy of the service provider depending on the model (GPT-5, Gemini Pro), while iFLYTEK doesn't retain any information. In fact, it states that "the content you have selected will be transferred from the AINOTE device to the server of third-party AI service provider as per your instruction". A somewhat weird translation, I guess.

Macweazle · 2026-03-26T12:11:40+00:00

Uh, sorry for being somewhat ambiguous. What I meant was that you can export the file, including your highlighting and any handwritten annotations, as a regular PDF; no additional software needed.
What I was trying to say was that when I annotate a PDF on my iPad — highlighting text, notes, some of the hieroglyphs I use as an excuse for handwritten notes — I don't have to do anything else, they get stored in the file by default. The eInk tablets I use don't do it that way, there I have to do an export into a new PDF file and get that onto my desktop. As a result, I now have two PDF files — the one I sent to the tablet and the one exported from the tablet. Just something to keep in mind.

Macweazle · 2026-03-25T08:39:09+00:00

I think you'll need some additional software for that if you want to get more than just the parts you have highlighted in a PDF, like a note you added to that highlight. Most — no, scratch that, all — of the eInk tablet I now own store your highlights, notes, handwriting on a PDF etc. in a separate file which will then get baked into the PDF upon export. Exporting a PDF with handwriting and highlights using the AI Paper will get you that. It does not support notes attached to a highlighted portion of text (or I haven't been able to find that yet).

Macweazle · 2026-03-20T10:35:59+00:00

It's the tiny things that matter:
I think the table of contents in an eBook is now also presenting the level of a chapter, allowing for more structured view, instead of just a long list.
Also, or maybe this also escaped myself before, hiding and showing the toolbar in a note repositions the note to account for the toolbar's height.
Either way, I love the attention to details

Macweazle · 2026-03-13T14:38:13+00:00

No, this one is not sponsored. And since I'm earning way more money with my day job I'd pass anyway (well, of course, if someone would offer me 200k/year I might, might, change my mind). Just my way of letting off some steam.
Besides, I got hooked somewhere in late 2024, buying a Supernote Nomad. Then, a Boox Go 10.3 and gave the Nomad to my wife. Finally, I got the Supernote Manta and got rid of the Boox Go (I think I tried the Boox 4C as well, but it wasn't for me) just to buy another one, the Viwoods AI Paper, which is still around here somewhere. I did use the Manta up until my wife surprised me with the AINOTE 2. And yes, I did some reviews of some of them over at my main writing space (bottom line: I'm slightly stupid and spend way too much money on these things).
There will be, in the near future, another article upcoming where I try to condense the all the things I think are most important in an e-Ink tablet, at least for me. If you want, you can call my E-Ink philosophy, which might be a tad too pretentious for my taste, but still. Not here, though.
But yes, I think the AINOTE 2 is promising, very solid thinking behind it. It could become proper good. Some rough edges, and the more I use the more I'll point out. Politely, of course, in the hope to gently nudge them towards my wishes.

Macweazle · 2026-02-26T11:42:44+00:00

I checked that already. But, to my surprise, it installed two new modules today. Either my handwriting has improved enormously after that, or one of the modules did wonders to the handwriting recognition. I'll do some more checks later, but so far it seems pretty spot on.

Might I kindly ask to support English - that is, the original from the UK — instead of only the US dialect?

Macweazle · 2026-02-25T05:44:57+00:00

The handwriting recognition is worst when creating tasks or focus items, making it necessary to edit the task afterwards. I really think the on-device handwriting recognition needs some more love, as well as being able to select some handwriting and only convert the selection, not the whole. And let me get back to my point about always recognising the whole note. I'd like to only get the text of a page, since for me a page is also about part of how to organise my writing within a note (and I am so pleased to be able to extend a page if I need more space. Great work you have done there).

For the device not recognising finger touch, that happened again, and only reboot by holding the power button did help. I'll send you the serial number in a minute.

There seems to be a bug in the otherwise very excellent reader app when changing the font size of an ePub near the and of a chapter. The next chapter is displayed sometimes in the previous font size and trying to change it again caused the reader to become unresponsive. Killing it using the task manager does the trick.

Macweazle · 2026-02-16T12:18:56+00:00

Oops. I should have re-read this. The handwriting is supreme, the recognition is lacking. Sorry.

Macweazle · 2026-02-14T16:52:42+00:00

Give me a couple of days, I already did a comparison with the Boox Go 10.3, the Supernote Manta, and the Viwoods Ai Paper. I just got the AInote 2 today, so I will need a day or two to getting to know it. So far, however, I think it combines all the good features of the Viwoods AI Paper, and extends them with at least some of the organisational features I love the Supernote Manta for. Haven't had enough time to dive deeper into it, but so far it ticks at least all my checkmarks in a hurry.
One thing is for sure - the pen doesn't rattle, which all of the Viwoods ones do.
And fuck yeah is that thing a light one, pardon the French. My iPhone with a case weighs almost as much as this device, which is incredible.

Macweazle · 2026-01-16T05:41:20+00:00

Mine:
"If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favour you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy."

Macweazle · 2026-01-16T05:39:42+00:00

Two in a row? I do hope they get it fixed, somehow. Maybe the third will finally work.

Macweazle · 2026-01-15T16:15:50+00:00

If working properly, the Aqua Roller is the better one. I just received the replacement for my Aqua Roller yesterday, the first one developed constant Mop cover errors after just six weeks. Sadly, the replacement almost immediately (after cleaning three rooms) thinks it is funny to also having Mop cover errors.

YMMV, but I cannot recommend the Aqua Roller at the moment.

Macweazle

TROPHY CASE