Boox SmartScribe AI Overview

In this article, I want to give a brief overview of what I think is one of the coolest (and perhaps under-rated) features in the note-taking app of newer Boox e-ink tablets; SmartScribe.

What is SmartScribe?

SmartScribe is a suite of Artificial Intelligence (AI) features that makes note-taking on Boox tablets a lot more efficient.

The feature set includes Shape Perfection, Lasso Recognition, and Scribbling Erase.

Each can be toggled on/off by tapping the AI button on the toolbar in the note-taking app.

Shape Perfection

With Shape Perfection turned on, any freehand shapes you draw can be converted to ‘perfected’ shapes. This means they have straight edges, or in the case of circles/ellipses have a regular curve. It can also be used to draw perfected lines and arrows.

This feature is useful for drawing neater diagrams and flow charts.

This means that it is possible to draw shapes without switching tools. Previous iterations of the Boox software (and other brands) allowed you to draw shapes, but you would have to select the shape-drawing tool, select your shape and then drag the stylus across the screen to get the size you want.

To change a freehand shape into a ‘perfected’ shape, all you have to do is hold the nib of the stylus on the screen after drawing it.

Lasso Recognition

Lasso Recognition allows you to lasso-select elements of your notepad (handwriting, sketches, images etc.) by simply drawing a circle/box around it with the stylus.

This means that you do not have to manually switch to the lasso-select tool itself – you can just draw a circle around something with the pen tool and it will be selected.

Scribbling Erase

With the Scribbling Erase feature, you can delete your handwriting by simply scribbling through it.

Again, this can be a lot quicker than manually switching to the dedicated Eraser tool.

Verdict

The SmartScribe outcomes themselves were possible in previous iterations of Boox software but took a whole lot more time to use.

You could draw shapes, but it meant changing to the shape tool, you could lasso-select, but it meant switching to the lasso tool, and you could erase, but it meant switching to the eraser tool (or turning your stylus upside down).

With SmartScribe, I find I have a lot more flow with my note-taking because I can now use these features using just the Pen tool without regular tool-switching.

I won’t go as far to say it is perfect. Sometimes when you scribble out handwriting, some remnants are left behind (such as the dot of your i’s) which require another scribble to remove. And occasionally drawing a circle around an element simply draws a circle around it without lasso-selecting it.

But these slight perturbations are few and far between, and often a result of the user being not fully conversant with the feature. With time and practice, you learn to ensure that your scribbles pass through all strokes of the handwriting so that they are deleted. And you learn to ensure that the circles for your selections join up so that it is recognised as a selection rather than sketch.

Overall, SmartScribe is one of my favourite features of Boox e-ink tablets because it means that I can perform 90% of my work using just the nib of the pen on the canvas and without switching between tools…I often wonder why SmartScribe is not talked about more often as an advantage of Boox devices because it is exceedingly useful and no other brand offers it.