The Viwoods AI Paper isn’t your average tablet. Instead of a bright AMOLED or LCD screen, it comes with an eye-friendly e-ink touch display and stylus, turning it into an Android-powered digital notebook. It’s compatible with the Google Play Store, so you can access your favorite apps (like Kindle) and use it for much more, however, and comes with its own built-in AI assistant. It won’t be for everyone, and that’s by design, but if you’re looking for a reading tablet alternative to the Remarkable or Kindle Scribe, it’s a great option.

Viwoods AI Paper – Design and Features

Viwoods is a new company, completing its first Kickstarter only late last year. Despite being fresh to the world of consumer electronics, it has debuted with a very strong first product. The Viwoods AI Paper is intuitive, innovative, and surprisingly versatile for an e-ink tablet, and, even while the company is regularly updating it to incorporate new features, it’s already competing with the most popular competitors that have, in some cases, a multi-year head start.

The AI Paper comes in two forms, the full-size 10.65-inch version I was sent for testing and the more compact AI Paper Mini, which has an 8.2-inch screen and comes with a backlight the larger version lacks. For this review, I’ll be focusing on the larger version, but if you’re looking for something smaller, those are the most important differences to be aware of.

The AI Paper falls into a tablet category that’s better categorized as a Digital Notebook. You’re probably familiar with the Remarkable, which really pushed this category into the mainstream. Digital Notebook tablets don’t claim to be do-everything devices. Instead, they emphasize note-taking, writing, reading, and organization. They’re less prone to cause distraction and, when used properly, can become a pivotal organization and thought-management tool.

Like its key competitors in this space, the AI Paper uses a paper-like e-ink display. In this case, the company has implemented the Carta 1300, which offers improved contrast compared to older e-ink screens and, theoretically, should be one of the best out there. Viwoods has done an excellent job of making the “paper” of the screen look bright, but the same can’t be said for most of the alternatives out there, like the Boox Max, which is noticeably darker grey. The screen has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,920, giving it 300 pixels per inch (PPI) of clarity. It’s a high resolution for an e-ink device and allows text and images to appear crisp and readable.

Unlike OLED or LCD displays, e-ink works on an entirely different principle. It’s best thought of a bit like an Etch-a-Sketch, where the Etch-a-Sketch has a layer of magnetic filings beneath the screen that are then pulled upwards to create its lines. E-ink displays have a layer of black ink beneath the display that is then pulled into place with the application of electricity. Once the image has been formed, it doesn’t need to reset, which means that, in theory, if you are reading a book, each page can be presented as a static image, dramatically increasing battery life and reducing eye strain. This quality, in combination with the matte texture used for the screen, works to make the display look much more like a sheet of paper. Amazon popularized this tech with the original Kindle and it has been a hit for e-readers ever since.

This is true of all e-ink tablets, but the AI Paper takes its capabilities further with Google Play Store access. It doesn’t come with installed by default but allows you to add it as an app, giving you access to a whole ecosystem of apps, including Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Obsidian, and more. This functionality inherently takes away from its distraction-free nature, but the slow refresh rate of its e-ink screen means that it’s unappealing to use the device for things like YouTube or social media, so it evens out.

AI comes into play prominently, but can also be completely ignored if you choose to. There are three touch buttons on the bottom, similar to a normal Android device, but the right right button is dedicated to summoning your AI agent. When held, you can speak a prompt which is then sent to ChatGPT. This functionality is also built into its different reading and writing applications with quick commands to analyze what’s on the page, generate a new article based on it, convert handwriting to text, or just to summon an AI assistant. It also allows you to come up with your own custom commands so you don’t need to retype a prompt every time.

Other tablets also feature AI assistance, such as those from Boox, which are also based on Android and have access to the Google Play Store. After all, if you can download any Android app, that also means you can download any Android-compatible LLM. What makes this different, however, is that Viwoods has given it the ability to see and interpret anything on your screen versus just answering text prompts.

This is especially useful functionality for students. For example, if your professor has assigned you an article to read, you can generate summaries and study aids quickly and easily simply by creating a prompt for it. You can also take handwritten notes in class and then have the AI transcribe these into written text that can then be accessed on a computer. The transcription process isn’t perfect, especially if you have messier handwriting, but it’s seen improvements since the tablet launched and is usually close enough that I can understand what I was attempting to write anyway.

Its traditional notebook and organizational features are exceptional. The homepage is broken into different sections for writing, organization, drawing, and apps. For writing, there are 31 different templates you can choose from, including everything from normal lined paper to graphic organizers to music notation and even body diagrams for clothing design. Templates are essentially backgrounds that you can write on and take the place of having a paper version of the sheet or organizer.

When you’re ready to write, you can choose from seven different implements, including a calligraphy pen, pencil, highlight, and a “thinker” which looks like a dry erase marker. The stylus uses the Wacom standard EMR (electro-magnetic resonance) stylus, which is battery-free, has 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and is able to detect when the stylus is tilted. This is incredibly useful when drawing as it allows you to shade with the pencil tool.

The tablet has a bundle of neat features that go along with this. Each “note” can be tagged for easy organization and searching them up later. Notepads allow you to create layers, similar to a photo editor, so you can add to drawings and note pages without marring anything you’ve written underneath. If you’re drawing a shape, simply holding the stylus in place at the end of your stroke transforms it into a perfect version of that shape with straight lines and curves for circles.

And, of course, it can be used as a reader. It natively supports PDFs and EPUB ebooks, but downloading the Kindle app from the Play Store gives you full access to your Kindle Library as well. Reading on e-ink is as close as you can get to paper without it actually being paper, and thanks to its 300 PPI screen, letters are just as crisp as a Kindle Paperwhite.

Getting documents onto and off of the device can be done in several different ways. You can upload your documents to the AI Paper management site and they’ll automatically sync to the device the next time it’s online or you can connect it to your PC with a USB Type-C cable and move files on or off like any other mass storage device. You can also email documents or sync them to the cloud.

Finally, the AI Paper comes with a 4,100mAh battery that can last around a week when writing two hours a day. This necessitates turning the WiFi off, however, and actually left me a bit disappointed. One of the downsides of running Android and having these additional functions is that they drain the battery significantly faster. A week isn’t bad, but if you’re taking it to several classes a day and then using it for assignments, it won’t even last that long. Viwoods rates it for a month in standby, which does hold true, so if you’re off on vacation or seasonal break, it should still have juice left when you return.

Viwoods AI Paper – Performance

I’ve tested the AI Paper alongside three other leading e-ink tablets (part of an upcoming feature), and all of these devices are after similar things: a paper-like writing experience, fewer distractions, supporting your education and work life, and improving your organization. That side-by-side comparison has highlighted just how much the Viwoods AI Paper has been able to stand out despite the company being so new.

For starters, this is the best implementation of the Carta 1300 display yet. One of the most disappointing qualities of it, as implemented in other tablets like the Boox Max, is that the screen is unusually dark. Whites tend to look dark gray, which can impact readability. The Al Paper is the whitest implementation I’ve seen so far, offering very good contrast and clarity.

The writing experience is also great. I wouldn’t say it’s like paper exactly, but the screen has a minute texture that creates a bit of scratchiness when writing. It feels good if you’ve never written on an e-ink tablet before; it takes a little getting used to, but I found it much easier than learning to write with a stylus on my Android tablet and its smooth, glassy surface (I eventually gave up on that). The display also uses a soft surface instead of hard glass, which helps it to feel a bit more natural too.

The AI Paper was my first e-ink tablet, so I had to go through that learning curve transitioning from paper and typing exclusively. I found it fairly easy to adapt to. It does take a minute to learn its different tools, but it’s very smartly designed with intuitive features like lassoing to erase large bits of text or drawing.

Sketching on the tablet was also surprisingly good. In fact, it’s one of the best. This is largely because of its variety of writing implements. I especially liked the pencil. It just felt so natural to use, much more so than I would have expected any digital writing instrument to feel. You can naturally tilt and angle it for shading with full pressure sensitivity to dial in gradients. This honestly makes a huge difference and works very well with the pressure settings hidden in the tablet’s menu system. Between the two, you can really dial in the feeling to make advanced sketches truly possible on this tablet.

I like the stylus, though I do think it could feel a bit more premium. It’s simple, slim, and plastic. At the same time, it feels like a normal pencil and has a flat section to rest your thumb and keep it oriented correctly. There’s a button on this section that can be used for erasing, or you can flip it over and use the backside as an eraser. It’s no Lamy, but it feels good to use. It also made me wish other brands started making spring-loaded nibs. If you push hard enough, the nib provides some resistance that almost feels like you’re digging into the page.

The AI Paper is at its best when you actively make it a daily companion. I’m finding that to be true of all of these tablets, and perhaps it goes without saying. Even so, I’ve made a point to carry it in situations when I wouldn’t normally carry a notebook. Doing so, and using the keyword system, I’ve found that I’m more organized and less forgetful. I work across multiple organizations, and simply using the AI Paper so regularly has inspired me to keep a daily organizer and to-do list. As an adult with ADHD, I’ve come up with a lot of systems to manage, but never stepped into a daily planner with such regularity.

Running on Android also has benefits if you prefer to work in apps that don’t come preloaded or to use peripherals like a Bluetooth keyboard. This was also something I was highly interested in, as I have been a fan of the Astrohaus Freewrite for quite some time, a device that uses an e-ink screen as part of its attempt to be a modern typewriter. Since I do most of my writing in Google Docs, I downloaded the app, connected a wireless mechanical keyboard, and was off to the races. It worked exceptionally well.

Despite feeling quite fully featured, the Viwoods Al Paper is still a work in progress. The company has been releasing updates regularly, adding features like the aforementioned tap-and-hold auto-shapes. It also still needs some features to give it parity with competitors like the Supernote, such as the ability to add multiple keywords to a document for more advanced sorting and connecting ideas.

The biggest issue I personally encountered, however, was ghosting. Because of the way the display technology works, all e-ink displays have some form of image retention when changing screens. It’s not permanent like it is with OLED gaming monitors, but it can be distracting. While it’s not terrible, it is definitely noticeable. More noticeable than I expected. Thankfully, you can easily refresh the screen by dragging down from the top left corner, which wipes these away.

You can also set the screen to different refresh speeds which reduces this. That comes with a trade-off, however. You can choose from Best Display, Fast Mode, and Ultra Fast Mode. Each of the two steps up softens the image. So while it’s possible to make the ghosts less visible, it’s also not something I usually wanted to do when a simple swipe would eliminate them entirely.

He’s been praised, applauded, mocked, and maligned, but no matter what, Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage has given his everything; pouring his heart and soul into each movie role he’s had. Occasionally his go-for-broke creative choices have led him into the heart of Meme Country, but there’s no denying Cage’s vigorous, explosive talent.

He’s been in acclaimed rom-coms, soul-crushing dramas, and of course, some of the biggest and best action hits of the 1990s. Nic Cage’s resume is so dense in fact, that we’ve allowed this “Best Of” to go to 15, rather than the usual top 10. He’s worked with powerhouse directors like David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Michael Bay, Ridley Scott, and his own uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, turning in some of the most memorable performances in movie history. (Speaking of memorable, be sure to also see the 40 best Nicolas Cage moments written by a Cage superfan who has seen every Nic Cage film.)

Having tackled every genre there is in his four decades of acting; whether it’s saving San Francisco from a chemical gas attack or heading to Las Vegas for a lethal bender to—well, play himself—in a meta-adventure about his own career, these are our picks for Nicolas Cage’s best movies ever.

15. Red Rock West (1993)

Gearbox Software just wrapped up its Borderlands 4 State of Play, revealing 20 minutes of new gameplay and details from its highly anticipated looter shooter.

The presentation hops right into the action with the promise that the 2025 Borderlands entry is the studio’s best and most grounded outing yet, promising major gameplay changes that range from new traversal abilities to loot drop formula changes. Gearbox managed to fill the 20-minute showcase with reveals about how Borderlands 4 ups the ante with new mechanics and refreshed existing features, and we’ve got all the highlights right here.

Movement Abilities

Every Borderlands title updates its traversal mechanics in new ways, and Borderlands 4 looks to be no different. We’ve seen hints of some of the new looter-shooter tools players will have at their disposal when its release date rolls around this September, but today’s gameplay footage gave us a clearer look at what’s to come.

Vault hunters can take advantage of a very Destiny-like midair hover this time around, giving players the freedom to shoot while airborne or reach faraway ledges. There’s also a grappling hook that can be used for both combat and exploration, as well as a dash for those last-second dodges. Vehicles, of course, continue to be a major component in Borderlands 4, too, and this time around, it appears we’ll have the freedom to spawn our rides, including the new Digirunner, wherever we please.

Guns and Manufacturers

We’ve gotten a taste of the new Vault Hunter traversal mechanics in previous showcases, but today’s State of Play really put the gun manufacturers in the spotlight. There’s a total of eight companies supplying players’ adventure this time around, meaning three new ones – Order, Ripper, and Daedalus – will be behind some of Borderlands 4’s new toys.

Like the other returning manufacturers, each newcomer features unique weapon designs and abilities. Borderlands 4 is taking things one step further, however, by introducing a new spin on its existing gun mechanics: the Licensed Parts System. Gun can now be comprised of a variety of different parts from different manufacturers, meaning you can find an assault rifle with elemental components developed by Maliwan, an ammo clip made by Torgue, and a shield from Hyperion. Higher rarity weapons come with more parts, making that quest for big loot drops more crucial than ever.

Story

The Borderlands 4 State of Play follows two Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren and an exosuit-wearing former Tediore soldier named Rafa. The former playable character uses Siren abilities to conjure beings to help in battle, while the latter builds tools like Ark Knives to tear enemies apart on the fly. Today’s gameplay sees the duo fighting through cold, open arenas throughout the Terminus Range, one of four zones to explore on the planet Kairos.

Borderlands 4 will follow the series’ trend of running into old faces while introducing new ones. Some familiar names that showed up during today’s State of Play include Moxxi, Zane, Amara, and, of course, Claptrap, though there were also a few hints that we might learn more about Lilith, too. New characters include a towering, armored individual named Rush and a helpful robot named Echo 4. The handy robot companion will follow players for the duration of Borderlands 4, aiding with exploration by scanning environments, hacking, and leading lost Vault Hunters to their next objective.

Multiplayer

Borderlands 4 players will be happy to hear Gearbox has made an attempt to streamline the co-op process this time around. In addition to what it calls “an improved lobby system,” it should be easier to join up with friends at a moment’s notice. Crossplay will be available at launch, too, with all loot instanced for each player and dynamic level scaling meaning you’ll have freedom with friends on any platform.

Customization within your parties goes even further, as Gearbox has implemented a feature that allows everyone to have their own difficulty settings separate from one another. Making the journey with friends easier is split screen couch co-op, which will be available at launch, as well as an addition that allows players to fast travel to their buddies if someone gets lost.

Borderlands 4 also features a lower chance for Legendary loot drops, dense new skill trees, and so much more. Rep Kit gear will have players choosing between a quick revive and temporary combat buff, while Ordnances give fans the option to fill a cooldown weapons slot with either grenades or unique heavy weapons. There’s also Enhancements, which replace Artifacts in favor of gifting bonuses to guns from specific manufacturers.

Borderlands 4 recently moved up its PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S release date 11 days from September 23 to September 12. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is due out at an unspecified point later in the year, too.

Despite speculation from fans, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says the scheduled shake up has nothing to do with the long-awaited release date of Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto 6. Expect to learn more about Borderlands 4 as we wait for Gearbox to reveal more about its upcoming hands-on gameplay event in June.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Video games and cooking go together more than you might think. Tons of RPGs and simulation games have some form of cooking mechanic or, at the very least, delicious-looking food. From the cozy familiarity of meals from Stardew Valley to fantastical feasts in The Witcher, I can personally say I’ve encountered tons of animated food I wish was real. Well, turns out it can be.

Gaming cookbooks offer an opportunity to learn unique recipes while immersing yourself in the lore of a world you love. Getting the materials you need might not be as fun as in-game adventuring or farming, but the end result is more than worth it. Whether you’re passionate about a specific game, are looking for gift ideas, or just love some themed recipes, here’s our list of the best gaming cookbooks in 2025.

Our Favorite Gaming Cookbooks in 2025

One of our top picks for gaming cookbooks is The Official Stardew Valley cookbook, which features 50 recipes written in the voice of various characters as well as some adorable art. The recipes are naturally based on the meals you can make in-game, including Pink Cake, Strange Buns, and even a full Autumn’s Bounty to help you power through the mines.

A great gift to inspire young chefs (especially those who particularly enjoyed A Minecraft Movie), the Minecraft cookbook includes 40+ recipes inspired by the game’s various mobs and biomes. The same goes for The Pokémon Cookbook, which focuses more on cute snacks and quick meals.

Outside of crafting-based games, themed cookbooks are also a great way to immerse yourself in fantasy worlds. The official Witcher cookbook takes inspiration from the games as well as The Witcher books, with 80 recipes covering everything from a refreshing drink to an exquisite banquet. The Elder Scrolls cookbook hones in on the world of Skyrim (as opposed to the rest of the Elder Scrolls games) while the Fallout cookbook is great for anyone who’s particularly curious about the taste of Nuka-Cola.

On the tabletop side of gaming, the Heroes’ Feast Dungeons & Dragons cookbook is the crème de la crème for anyone trying to impress their party. Across the board, these cookbooks feature great recipes as well as interesting new bits of lore and art for dedicated fans.

Upcoming Video Game Cookbooks

The trend of gaming cookbooks isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Some upcoming gaming cookbooks include one inspired by Pac-Man, which, to be completely honest, is a mystery to me, as well as Borderlands, presumably part of the promotions for Borderlands 4. As someone who’s long been curious about Sojiro’s curry from Persona 5, I’m particularly excited about the cookbook inspired by the Persona games coming out later this year.

Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.