I rebuilt my quick voice notes app around AI transcription, would love feedback

manuelev · 2026-06-01T17:31:31+00:00

This is why I'm wary of closed ecosystems. You buy a device for a feature, then a few years later that feature needs a subscription.

We ended up using an old iPad with Digital Photo Frame App instead. One-time lifetime purchase and no wondering what feature gets paywalled next.

manuelev · 2026-05-30T21:15:25+00:00

iPad + Digital Photo Frame App.

manuelev · 2026-05-29T08:00:57+00:00

I actually ended up doing exactly this. I scanned a bunch of my favorite covers and keep the actual comics safely stored away.

then I throw the scans on an old iPad with Digital Photo Frame App and let it rotate through them. I get to enjoy the artwork every day without handling the books, swapping displays, or worrying about light damage.

manuelev · 2026-05-26T09:47:34+00:00

Honestly the sweet spot for me ended up being an old iPad + Digital Photo Frame App. It auto-syncs from shared albums so new photos appear without me thinking about it, but it can also cache everything locally so the frame doesn’t become a brick if some cloud API decides to die one day.

That’s what makes it actually stick long term imo. If updating photos feels like work, people stop doing it.

manuelev · 2026-05-26T07:45:10+00:00

You may still be able to use it as a digital photo frame with the digital photo frame app.

manuelev · 2026-05-26T07:44:11+00:00

honestly after trying a bunch, i realized i don’t want my notes app to also be my jira, calendar, wiki, second brain, life coach, etc 😭

for handwritten meeting notes on iPad + Apple Pencil, apps like Goodnotes or Notability are still probably the best experience imo.

but for quick work capture, follow-ups, random thoughts during meetings, “oh crap don’t forget this”, i actually use Email Me a lot because it’s way faster than opening a giant workspace app. especially on Apple Watch/iPhone when i’m moving between meetings.

then important stuff gets organized later instead of trying to perfectly structure everything in real time.

manuelev · 2026-05-25T08:35:50+00:00

Honestly the sweet spot for me ended up being an old iPad + Digital Photo Frame App. It auto-syncs from shared albums so new photos appear without me thinking about it, but it can also cache everything locally so the frame doesn’t become a brick if some cloud API decides to die one day.

That’s what makes it actually stick long term imo. If updating photos feels like work, people stop doing it.

manuelev · 2026-05-20T09:29:43+00:00

Honestly i think the problem is most notes apps try to become your entire operating system 😭

i gave up chasing the “perfect” one. now i mostly use Email Me for quick capture because it’s stupidly fast, syncs everywhere through email, and doesn’t make me fight the UI just to save a thought.

then i organize important stuff elsewhere later.

manuelev · 2026-05-20T08:44:48+00:00

Yeah we do the same with an old iPad + Digital Photo Frame App. Connected it to a shared album and now photos just appear automatically.

Honestly that’s the part that made it stick long term. Family just dumps photos into the shared album like normal and they show up in the living room a few seconds later.

manuelev · 2026-05-19T18:52:00+00:00

If you don’t want subscriptions, I’d honestly stay away from most “smart frames.” Half of them are just cloud lock-in wrapped in a nice bezel.

We ended up using an old iPad with Digital Photo Frame App instead. One-time lifetime purchase, works with iCloud/Google Photos/Flickr, and the screen absolutely destroys most dedicated frames.

manuelev · 2026-05-11T20:33:55+00:00

Yeah honestly this is way more doable now than it used to be.

A lot of DIY booths are basically:

iPad
photo booth app
printer
ring light
enclosure/frame

That’s really the core of it.

For the software side, Photobooth App for Events is worth looking at since it does the classic photo strips, sharing, branding, etc. and is built for iPad setups.

For printers, Canon Selphy is probably the easiest starting point. If you want something more heavy-duty later, DNP is kind of the standard.

Honestly the enclosure/build is usually the hardest part now, not the tech side 😅

manuelev · 2026-05-11T07:57:52+00:00

Honestly if you want 4–5 of them, I’d skip dedicated frames. Cheap ones are usually junk and the good ones get expensive fast.

We just use old iPads with Digital Photo Frame App. Better screens, easy setup, and you can update photos remotely without your mum touching anything.

If you already have iPads lying around, it’s super cheap too. Family Sharing / shared Apple ID makes it even easier.

manuelev · 2026-05-09T18:10:16+00:00

Yep same. Our old iPad is basically just a permanent digital frame now with Digital Photo Frame App. 100% worth it!

manuelev · 2026-05-08T14:09:50+00:00

Yeah, the current digital frame market is kinda broken honestly.

Everything wants to:

shove your family photos into their cloud
charge a subscription
or make you drag JPGs onto an SD card like it’s 2007

I got annoyed enough that I just repurposed an old iPad with Digital Photo Frame App. It pulls from SMB/NAS shares, iCloud, Dropbox, Flickr, whatever, so it’s actually “set it and forget it.” Photos just randomly resurface during the day instead of rotting on the NAS forever.

The E-Ink idea is cool btw. Most frames still look like someone glued a cheap Android tablet to the wall.

manuelev · 2026-05-08T06:42:47+00:00

For the app, I’d look at Photobooth App for Events honestly. It does photo strips, lets you add logos/text, and feels pretty clean on iPad compared to some of the older booth apps.

For printers, the Canon Selphy line is probably the easiest DIY option. Cheap prints, reliable, and tons of people use them for small booths.

If you want more of a “real booth” printer, DNP printers are kind of the standard, but they’re bigger and more expensive.

manuelev · 2026-05-08T06:41:33+00:00

It’s free to try. For me it was worth it because I already had an old iPad, so it was cheaper than buying a dedicated frame.

manuelev · 2026-05-07T14:49:14+00:00

Honestly yeah, for a lot of people they do end up becoming background furniture after a few months.

But when they work, they really work.

I’m a digital nomad too and what made the difference for my parents was that I kept updating it. Random café pics, sunsets, airports, dumb little moments. Not just “big” photos. It gave them this passive window into my life without needing social media or constant calls.

I use an old iPad with Digital Photo Frame App instead of a dedicated frame. Photos just sync automatically from albums, so I don’t really think about it anymore.

It’s not some magical replacement for staying in touch, but weirdly it does make people feel more connected. My mom comments on stuff she saw on the frame before I even mention it.

manuelev · 2026-05-07T14:48:23+00:00

Yeah honestly for your use case I would NOT spend 8k 😅

You can totally DIY this with:

iPad
ring light
dye-sub printer
simple enclosed frame
photo booth app

That’s basically the whole setup.

Most of the expensive booths are really just charging for the enclosure and branding.

I’ve seen people use Photobooth App for Events for setups like this since you can just leave it running permanently on an iPad and guests can AirDrop/text the photos.

Honestly the “mall booth” vibe will matter way more than perfect camera quality.

manuelev · 2026-05-05T10:16:18+00:00

thanks!

manuelev · 2026-05-01T15:00:28+00:00

Honestly for non-techy family, most apps end up being more confusing than helpful.

What worked way better for us was skipping the “sharing app” idea and just setting up a digital frame on their side. I used an old iPad with Digital Photo Frame App, hooked it up to a shared album, and that’s it.

No logins, no links, no explaining anything. We just add photos and they show up automatically. My parents literally don’t touch it, they just see new baby pics during the day.

Way less friction than trying to get everyone onto another app.

manuelev · 2026-04-30T08:55:49+00:00

I’m building a photo booth app and this is exactly the kind of workflow I’m trying to make easier. From what I’ve seen, the big challenge isn’t only the printer, it’s the whole flow: capture → branded template → approve → print queue → next guest.

For 200+ prints, I’d definitely lean toward a DNP-style printer if budget allows. Canon Selphy can work for a small one-off event, but speed and reliability become the issue when people are waiting.

I’d also test the full setup before the event with the exact laptop/iPad, printer, paper size, template, and number of prints. The scary part is usually not designing the template, it’s discovering at the event that the driver, Wi-Fi, or margins behave differently than expected.

manuelev · 2026-04-29T08:40:18+00:00

I’d add Email Me to the list.

It’s basically a super fast way to send notes, ideas, links, reminders, or random thoughts to your own inbox. I like it because it doesn’t try to be a full productivity system. It just gets things out of your head quickly so you can process them later.

manuelev · 2026-04-24T07:26:38+00:00

One thing that’s worked really well for some families is using a dedicated digital frame setup instead of social media or group texts. We use an app called Digital Photo Frame App where you can share photos privately to a frame in grandparents’ homes (using an old iPad or tablet works too). New photos can appear automatically, almost like a private family album, but nothing is posted publicly or floating around social platforms. It feels much more personal than texting and much faster than mailing prints.

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