[NTLK] Introduction and Project Martha: Newton-inspired eink notes app I’m building

[Jake]

Sorry for the radio silence for a couple days. Some things came up that took priority over this unfortunately. However I wanted to share a quick demo video of one feature in action. A couple things to note because I am capturing this from an eink device the rendering of the strokes is wonky via capture but looks great on device. 

Also, I’ve recreated the tap and hold to select feature but that is not captured at all off device so just know that to select everything I tap, hold, and then circle everything. 

Lastly there are two recognition engines working. The first is a handwriting which runs entirely on device and is transcribing the text in the background so even when presented as ink it’s still searchable prior to visual conversation to text (that’s a nice feature I like from the iPads). The second is the recognition engine. That is running on my base M4 MacMini. The tablet is not capable enough to do anything more than handwriting on its own. 

Lastly, this is an out of date prototype. I decided to rebuild the backend significantly for a number of reasons but it also means that I’ve built a SDK/API so eventually anyone can create their own modules to embed arbitrary items into the canvas. 

So, with that out of the way here’s the video demo:

https://streamable.com/f7wh4s


-sent from my MessagePad 2150 Air

> On Sep 12, 2026, at 3:49 PM, Dan <dan at dbdigitalweb.com> wrote:
> 
> Very cool.  I also wonder about the line drawn between mobile devices and make things with more friction on the mobile side when they don't need to be.
> 
> Another thing that I do not understand: why there isn't something like dates with moreinfo?  Granted I realize the aspect of soup where all apps can access all data globally will never happen again, there must be a way to make a real app like the Newton Dates with Moreinfo that can import/export/sync in today's formats?
> 
> Sure there are a lot of good calendar and todo apps, but they are all lacking in one way or another (or several).  Either they don't import/export well or they are slow, or they don't offer much room for notes or organization or they are different apps and are STILL lacking (I could go on and on).  Again it just baffles me that something from the 90's can run RINGS around anything now and no one has come up with something similar?
> 
> I guess everyone just wants to dump everything into AI and have it do it?  (Personally I don't trust them, I like my data LOCAL not on the cloud which is just someone else's computer than can go poof at any time or go way more expensive lol).
> 
> -Dan
> 
>> On 9/11/2026 12:42 PM, Martha via NewtonTalk wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I’ve been a die hard Newton fanboy since it was released. In fact I worked part time at Newton Source in Midtown Manhattan over a summer during high school.
>> 
>> I’ve been working on a small personal project called Martha: a Newton-inspired notes/tasks app for eink tablets. It started as wanting to create a modern eMate but has turned into something cooler.
>> 
>> I’ve found most stylus + tablet setups frustrating because there’s too much friction before you can just capture something. Martha is my attempt to solve for that: instant scratchpad first, handwriting-first workflows, lightweight object recognition, and turning notes into tasks/events when asked.
>> 
>> It’s very early, but it runs now on ViWoods tablets and is Android-based (and should work on Boox as well). The goal isn’t to clone Newton OS, but to borrow the parts that still feel smarter than most modern tablets, while adding modern capabilities like calendar, contacts, and file sync, plus other 21st-century conveniences we take for granted now.
>> 
>> I’d love to share progress and get feedback or suggestions if that’s ok.
>> 
>> -sent from my MessagePad 2150 Air
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> https://newtontalk.net
> https://bitbang.social/@newtontalk
> https://bsky.app/profile/newtontalk.bsky.social