All posts tagged: notebooks

Google Gemini Guide 2026: Understanding Gems and Notebooks

Google Gemini Guide 2026: Understanding Gems and Notebooks

Published by skeptic

Google’s Gemini platform offers two distinct approaches for managing tasks: Notebooks and Gems. Each serves a specific purpose, with Notebooks acting as a collaborative workspace for evolving projects and Gems excelling at repetitive, predefined workflows. For example, Notebooks are ideal for research-heavy tasks like tracking renewable energy trends, where memory retention and advanced features such as visualizations can streamline complex processes. Gems, on the other hand, are designed for precision in tasks like generating timestamps or applying uniform edits, where consistency and automation are key. Paul Lipsky explores these distinctions to help users make informed choices based on their project needs. In this breakdown, you’ll gain insight into when to prioritize Notebooks for their memory and collaboration features and when to use Gems for their efficiency and task-specific focus. Explore how Notebooks can enhance team-based projects with shared workspaces and contextual continuity, while Gems simplify repetitive workflows with reliable outputs and easy sharing options. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to align each option with your specific goals. Notebooks: A Collaborative …

Gemini Gets New Notebooks Feature That Syncs With NotebookLM

Gemini Gets New Notebooks Feature That Syncs With NotebookLM

Published by skeptic

Gemini is getting a new feature in the form of notebooks, further integrating with NotebookLM, Google announced on Wednesday. NotebookLM is easily one of Google’s best AI tools available. It allows you to add sources to a notebook and ask questions or generate a series of outputs, based only on the material you’ve given it, making it self-contained.  It’s different from the Gemini chatbot on its own, which will search the entire internet for an answer. NotebookLM’s answers are grounded only in your sources. It’s great for studying for school, getting prepped for work and even creative inspiration. There’s no wrong way to use it, and its flexibility lends itself to be explored, so it comes as no surprise that it’s getting further integrated into Google’s own chatbot. Late last year, Google allowed you to add a NotebookLM notebook into Gemini so it would have all the context you added. Google says to look at notebooks as personal knowledge bases. You can add files, past chats and documents on a particular subject, and you can …

9 Best Cheap Laptops (2026), Tested and Reviewed

9 Best Cheap Laptops (2026), Tested and Reviewed

Published by skeptic

Compare Top 9 Budget Laptops Other Budget Laptops to Consider HP OmniBook 5 16 for $630: The HP OmniBook 5 16 shares a lot in common with the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 16. It has right around the same size chassis and comes with the same Intel processor. It’s also dinged by a similar budget display that isn’t very color-accurate. It’s decent, but the discount on the $550 IdeaPad 5i above makes it the better option. I haven’t tested the Snapdragon X Plus version of the OmniBook 5 16, but based on my other reviews, I have a feeling that its current selling price of $550 is a crazy-good deal. Lenovo LOQ 15. Photograph: Luke Larsen Lenovo LOQ 15 for $779: I tested the RTX 5060 model of the LOQ 15, which is an incredible deal. The RTX 5050 model is also a solid option. It’s not quite as cheap as the Acer Nitro V 16, but it doesn’t have the power adapter issue and has a better design. The LOQ 15 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) …

The Best Paper Notebooks and Journals, Tested and Reviewed (2026): Leuchttherm, Midori, Field Notes

The Best Paper Notebooks and Journals, Tested and Reviewed (2026): Leuchttherm, Midori, Field Notes

Published by skeptic

Is there such a thing as the best notebook? Probably not. Notebooks are not a one-size-fits-all commodity. If none of these quite tilt your pen, here are some general things to look for in a paper notebook. Paper quality: High-quality paper will improve your writing experience. That said, what constitutes high-quality paper depends a lot on your writing device. For example, heavy ink pens, like fountain pens, will require thicker paper to avoid ghosting (when the ink soaks through), while coarser paper might be better for sketching with a soft pencil. (Much of this depends on personal preference too.) If you’re mainly jotting notes with a ballpoint pen, pretty much any paper will work. Size and shape: For writing, I like vertically oriented notebooks, roughly A5 shape, but for sketching and watercolors I prefer landscape-oriented notebooks. I know people who like the exact opposite. You’ll have to find out what shape you like, but once you do you can narrow the field considerably. Also keep in mind that if you’re carrying a notebook around all …

7 Best Digital Notebooks (2026): reMarkable, Kobo, Kindle

7 Best Digital Notebooks (2026): reMarkable, Kobo, Kindle

Published by skeptic

Comparing Our Favorite Digital Notebooks Our Favorite Smart Pens Neo Smartpen M1+ for $129: Skip the tablet and write directly on paper with a smart pen instead. The Neo Smartpen M1+ is the thinnest and lightest of all the pens I tried, which makes it feel a bit more like your standard pen. Importantly, it’s comfortable to hold and use. You should be able to find whatever size and style of notebook you need as well as planners. The Neo Studio app (iOS, Android) is nice, with an easy-to-navigate notebook system and the ability to search for pages by page number or date. You can change the color of the ink and thickness of the lines right on the page as you go, or you can switch them up later and edit the colors of what you’ve written. —Medea Giodiano Moleskine Smart Writing Set for $279: Moleskine has garnered a devoted following for its classic notebooks and journals, but it has also moved into smart territory. The Smart Writing Set gets you a notebook and …