Using Supernote Nomad offline

+
+I am a note taker. For years, I've been searching for a good digital device that could complement my paper notebooks. I've finally found it in the Supernote Nomad. I use it completely offline without cloud-sync, and in this post, I'll explain why this is a benefit.
+
+Supernote Nomad
+
+I initially bought it because Retta (the manufacturer of the Supernote) stated on their website that an open-source Linux firmware would be released soon. However, after over a year, there still hasn't been any progress (hopefully there will be someday). So I looked into alternative ways to use this device.
+
+

+⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣏⠀⢶⣆⡘⠉⠙⠛⠿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠋⣤⣄⠘⠃⢠⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠛⠛⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠀⡉⠻⡟⠀⠈⠉⠙⠛⠷⠶⣦⣤⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠸⢿⣤⠀⢠⣤⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠙⠛⠻⠶⠀⢰⣿⣿⠻⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⠠⣶⣆⡉⠀⠀⠈⠉⠙⠛⠳⠶⠦⣤⣤⣄⣀⡀⢀⣴⠟⠋⠙⢷⣬⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⠏⣠⡄⠹⠁⠰⢶⣤⣤⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⢉⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⡿⠂⠙⠻⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠛⠛⠷⠶⣦⣤⣴⠟⠁⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⡇⠸⣿⣄⠀⠰⠶⢶⣤⣄⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣟⠁⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⡟⠀⣶⣀⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠙⠛⠓⢾⡟⢙⣷⣤⢾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⠋⣀⡉⠻⠀⠘⠛⠻⠶⢶⣤⣤⣀⡀⢠⠿⠟⠛⠉⠁⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⡀⠛⠳⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠛⠛⠷⠶⣦⠄⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣶⣦⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣤⣤⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+

+
+

Using Supernote Nomad offline
⇢ The Joy of Being Offline
⇢ My Offline Workflow
⇢ ⇢ Converting Notes to PDF
⇢ ⇢ Syncing to my Phone
⇢ ⇢ Firmware updates
⇢ The Writing Experience
⇢ Conclusion

The Joy of Being Offline

+
+In a world of constant connectivity, the Supernote Nomad offers a sanctuary. By keeping it offline, I can focus on my thoughts and notes without compromise of my privacy.
+
+One of the most significant advantages of keeping Wi-Fi off is the battery life. The Supernote Nomad can last a week, on a single charge when it's not constantly searching for a network. This makes it a good companion for long trips or intense note-taking sessions.
+
+Privacy was my main concern. By not syncing my notes to Retta's cloud service, I retain full ownership and control over my data. There's no risk of my personal thoughts and ideas being accessed or mined by third parties. It's a simple and effective way to ensure my privacy.
+
+

+
+

My Offline Workflow

+
+My workflow is simple, only relying on a direct USB connection to my Linux laptop.
+
+I connect my Supernote Nomad to my Linux laptop via a USB-C cable. The device is automatically recognized as a storage device, and I can directly access the Note folder, which contains all my notes as .note files. I then copy these files to a dedicated archive folder on my laptop.
+
+

Converting Notes to PDF

+
+To make my notes accessible and shareable, I convert them from the proprietary .note format to PDF. For this, I use a fantastic open-source tool called supernote-tool. It's not an official tool from Ratta, but it works flawlessly.
+
+https://github.com/jya-dev/supernote-tool
+
+I've created a small shell script to automate the conversion process using tis tool. This script, convert-notes-to-pdfs.sh, resides in my notes archive folder:
+
+ +

#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+convert () {
+  find . -name \*.note \
+    | while read -r note; do
+        echo supernote-tool convert -a -t pdf "$note" "${note/.note/.pdf}"
+        supernote-tool convert -a -t pdf "$note" "${note/.note/.pdf}.tmp"
+        mv "${note/.note/.pdf}.tmp" "${note/.note/.pdf}"
+        du -hs "$note" "${note/.note/.pdf}"
+        echo
+      done
+}
+
+# Make the PDFs available on my Phone as well
+copy () {
+  if [ ! -d ~/Documents/Supernote ]; then
+    echo "Directory ~/Documents/Supernote does not exist, skipping"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  rsync -delete -av --include='*/' --include='*.pdf' --exclude='*' . ~/Documents/Supernote/
+  echo This was copied from $(pwd) so dont edit manually >~/Documents/Supernote/README.txt
+}
+
+convert
+copy
+

+
+This script does two things:
+
+

It finds all .note files in the current directory and converts them to PDF using supernote-tool.
It copies the generated PDFs to my ~/Documents/Supernote folder.

Syncing to my Phone

+
+The ~/Documents/Supernote folder on my laptop is synchronized with my phone using Syncthing. This way, I have access to all my notes in PDF format on my phone, wherever I go, without relying on any cloud service.
+
+https://syncthing.net/
+
+

Firmware updates

+
+One usually updates the software or firmware of the Supernote Nomad via Wi-Fi. However, it is also possible to update it completely offline. To install the firmware update, follow the steps below (the following instructions were copied from the Supernote website):
+
+

Connect your Supernote to your PC with a USB-C cable. For macOS, an MTP software (e.g. OpenMTP or Android File Transfer) is required for your Supernote to show up on your Mac.
For Manta, Nomad, A5 X and A6 X devices, copy the firmware (DO NOT UNZIP) to the "Export" folder of Supernote; for A5 and A6 devices, copy the firmware (DO NOT UNZIP) to the root directory of Supernote.
Unplug the USB connection, tap “OK” on your Supernote to continue, and if no prompt pops up, please restart your device directly to proceed to update.

The Writing Experience

+
+The writing feel of the Supernote Nomad is simply great. The combination of the screen's texture and the ceramic nib of the pen creates a feeling that is remarkably close to writing on real paper. The latency is almost non-existent, and the pressure sensitivity allows for a natural and expressive writing experience. It's great to write on, and it makes me want to take more notes.
+
+

+
+

Conclusion

+
+The Supernote Nomad has become an additional tool for me. By using it offline, I've created a distraction-free and private note-taking environment. The simple, manual workflow for transferring and converting notes gives me full control over my data, and the writing experience is second to none. If you're looking for a digital notebook that respects your privacy and helps you focus, I highly recommend giving the Supernote Nomad a try with an offline-first approach.
+
+The Supernote didn't fully replace my traditional paper journals, though. Each of them has its own use case. However, that is outside the scope of this blog post.
+
+Other related posts:
+
+2026-01-01 Cloudless Kobo Forma with KOReader
+
+E-Mail your comments to paul@nospam.buetow.org :-)
+
+Back to the main site
+

Technical references

Self-development and soft-skills books

Technical guides

Podcasts

Podcasts I liked

Newsletters I like

Magazines I like(d)

Formal education

Sideloaded Mode

Purchasing e-books

Using Supernote Nomad offline

Table of Contents

The Joy of Being Offline

My Offline Workflow

Converting Notes to PDF

Syncing to my Phone

Firmware updates

The Writing Experience

Conclusion

Using Supernote Nomad offline

Table of Contents

The Joy of Being Offline

My Offline Workflow

Converting Notes to PDF

Syncing to my Phone

Firmware updates

The Writing Experience

Conclusion

Sideloaded Mode

Purchasing e-books

Site Reliability Engineering - Part 3: On-Call Culture

Putting Well-being First

To be in the .zone!

Hello!

Posts

My machine uptime stats