Digital devices still have a long way to go before they can match the instant feedback and flexibility of paper. Even the low-latency touch screens found on the Microsoft Surface or iPad Pro still need expensive stylus peripherals to take advantage of handwritten notes and drawing features, and can be difficult to see in direct sunlight. If you are a visual thinker with a preference for physical touch over indirect manipulation, a paper notebook is still the preferred computing device: infinite battery life, and tangible, persistent storage.
The Rocketbook Reusable Smart Notebook aims to bridge the gap between the immediacy of paper, and the convenience of cloud storage, with a clever twist that helps you cut down on personal paper waste. It’s available in our Boing Boing store for $22.99.
At its core, the Rocketbook is just a bound bundle of acid-free dot-grid paper. But when paired with the your phone’s camera and the Rocketbook app’s computer vision tricks, it instantly digitizes and sorts your notebook pages. The bottom of each page features a row of printed icons that act as user-configurable visual links to folders in various cloud vaults like Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Drive. You can set up to 7 custom locations in any compatible storage services. All you have to do is quickly mark the icon that’s associated with a particular cloud location, point your phone at the page, and all of your work is backed up remotely.
Why should you use their notebook over any old legal pad laying around? Because it is specifically made to be microwave-safe, and thus compatible with Pilot FriXion pens. These clever markers have ink that disappears at high temperatures, so you can completely erase your notebook when it’s all filled up (and backed up to the cloud) by putting in the microwave for a few minutes. These pens are readily available at most office supply stores, but you get one for free with your Rocketbook. When used with a FriXion, each book can be erased up to 5 times — perfect for even the most furious of notetakers. The Rocketbook Wave comes in two different paper sizes, 8.5” x 9” and 6”x 8.9”. And if you don’t have consistent access to a microwave, Rocketbook’s Everlast offerings feature pages that are repeatedly erasable with a damp cloth.
If you hate the thought of losing old notes, drawings, and grocery lists but also can’t stand to have excess clutter in your life, this notebook system reclaims your used paper and makes it easy to archive everything digitally. Pick up a Rocketbook Reusable Smart Notebook from our store for $22.99, 14% off the sticker price.
