For the first time — ever — I talked notetaking with someone face to face, not online.  At a recent event two women were using the [reMarkable 2](https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2) for their meeting notes. I was intrigued. I’d been interested in the reMarkable for a while. Not long ago, Chris heard about them and asked why I didn’t have one as he was sure I would love it! The two women mentioned how much their productivity had increased since using the Remarkable 2. Paid for by their employer, they used the reMarkable for taking notes and converting them to text later. I had a quick scribble but not long enough to make an informed decision.  #### How much does a reMarkable cost? The reMarkable starts at £299. (Refurbished devices are £279). A Marker is £59. A Marker Plus costs £109 — this has a built in eraser.  The cheapest folio is £69. A focused typing folio is £179. reMarkable 2: £299 Marker Plus: £109 Folio: £69 **Total: £477** This was way outside my budget. reMarkable also requires a cloud storage and sync subscription, Connect, which costs £2.99 a month. #### Is there an alternative? So, I looked for _similar to_ … Remarkable 2 and found [a blog](https://spaceandcashmere.com/a-budget-friendly-alternative-to-the-remarkable-2-assuming-you-already-own-a-tablet/), Space and Cashmere. Jessica talks about an iPad, Nebo and [Paperlike](https://paperlike.com/products/paperlike-for-ipad) screen protector combination. I decided to investigate! I first downloaded [Nebo](https://www.nebo.app/) and tried it out. As I had a budget of £50, I searched for [an alternative screen protector](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BRCMC1PG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). My Paperlike lookalike arrived. I’d ordered the wrong size even though I’d checked carefully that all the details related to my iPad. My guillotine cut down the screen protector to the right size.  The screen protector feels lovely to write on! #### Kit and costs My kit includes: - A 6th generation iPad (already owned) - iOS Nebo — iPad and iPhone (Nebo viewer) - Apple Pencil (already owned) - Screen protector Costs: - Nebo — £8.99 - Screen Protector — £9.99 - Pencil charger — £6.76 **Total cost: £25.74** #### reMarkable cost comparison - reMarkable 2: £299 - Marker Plus: £109 - Folio: £69 - Paperlike: £34 **Total cost: £511** #### How much I saved This doesn’t factor in the cost of an iPad or Apple Pencil but assumes that you already own these items. **My savings: £482.26** #### Getting started with Nebo If you’re already a notetaker, you may have an established structure e.g. PARA. You can adopt this to create collections (groups of notebooks).  Your notebooks sit underneath each collection.  Your notes live in those notebooks.  #### Notetaking and sharing Nebo recognises handwriting. You can select an area of writing or click on Convert All to transcribe into text.  #### Document types There are two document types: note and document. A document has a few additional functions and you can choose to export your notes as text, PDF or .docx. A note can be exported as .png, PDF or .svg.  I’ve jotted notes in Nebo and then exported them as .png. I’ve saved these into [Twos](https://www.twosapp.com/home) as part of my daily logs. You can also import and annotate PDFs or image files.  You can also insert a sketch or diagram into your document. #### Publishing I love to be able to publish my stuff online! And you can do that in Nebo! You can make links public or private and choose who sees your notes. [Check this out!](https://www.nebo.app/page/92f49329-d1eb-4313-87e5-33cafd890dd6) #### Top tips Watch the [Paperlike video](https://paperlike.com/pages/use-and-apply-paperlike) for advice on how to apply your screen protector, whichever one you purchase. Specify your pen holding style by choosing writing position in Settings. Synchronise with iCloud and get read only access to all your notes on your phone using [Nebo Viewer](https://app-support.myscript.com/en/support/solutions/articles/16000119726-nebo-viewer-for-iphone-and-compatible-devices). #### In conclusion My iPad, Apple Pencil and Nebo combo works! It’s given me a different dimension to my note taking and a new method for capturing ideas. This article was written by hand in Nebo, then exported as text.  --- Happy Twosday! ✌️ Visit [_www.TwosApp.com_](http://www.twosapp.com/) or download Twos at [_www.TwosApp.com/download_](http://www.twosapp.com/download). [_Use code nicola for a free feature._](https://www.twosapp.com/?code=nicola)