Handwriting to text
Convert pages to searchable text without sending images anywhere. Recognition runs on your device.
Free. More accurate recognition through a server you run yourself is a planned premium feature.
A private notebook for Neo and Ncode smartpens
Your handwriting, captured privately.
Write on paper with your smartpen. Nibhaus keeps every page on your device, turns it into searchable text, and exports only when you choose. There is no cloud account.
How a page becomes a note.
- Write
Use your smartpen on paper the way you already do. Nothing changes about how you take notes.
- Capture
Strokes stream to Nibhaus over Bluetooth and save to a local database the moment you write them.
- Search
Recognition runs on your device, so each page becomes searchable text with no internet connection.
- Keep
View, transcribe, and export any page to a folder, server, or app you choose. The notes stay yours.
What it does, on your device.
The page looks the way you wrote it
Nibhaus draws the printed ruling under your ink, page by page, so a captured page reads like the notebook in your hand.
Rendered on device, ready to view, search, and export.
Export and sync you control
Send pages as images, text, or Markdown to a folder on your device any time. You set the destination and the credentials.
Free to a local folder. Automatic sync to a server you choose is a planned premium feature. We are never in the middle.
Translate what you write
Once a page is transcribed, translate it into another language through the same optional server.
A planned premium feature.
Technical specifications
- Smartpens
- Neo and Ncode dot-pattern smartpens over Bluetooth, from NeoLAB and partner brands such as LAMY's digital writing line. The Neo M1+ is confirmed working; the LAMY Safari is supported and pending final device validation.
- Notebooks
- Neo and Ncode dot-pattern notebooks. Full-page rendering, with the printed ruling drawn under your ink, is calibrated notebook by notebook. The Neo N Professional is supported today.
- Platform
- Android 7.0 or later, over Bluetooth Low Energy. No other device or hub is needed.
- Recognition
- On-device handwriting-to-text, free and fully offline. Higher-accuracy recognition runs on a conversion server you host yourself, a planned premium feature.
- Storage
- A local on-device database, persist-first (every stroke is written to storage the moment you write it), app-private and excluded from system backups, protected by the device's own encryption. The pen pairing secret is additionally sealed with a hardware-backed key (AES-256-GCM via the Android Keystore).
- Export
- Pages export as images, plain text, or Markdown to a folder you choose. Automatic sync to a server you control is a planned premium feature.
- Networking
- None by default. Any sync, higher-accuracy recognition, or translation uses an endpoint you configure; cleartext is blocked, and pages go only to the server you chose, never to us.
- License
- Apache-2.0 core, in a public repository. Read it, audit it, or fork it.
Private because we never receive your data.
There are no accounts and no telemetry. Nibhaus runs no servers that see your notes, and your device's system backup is set to exclude the note database. Read exactly what that means.
Questions.
Which smartpens work with Nibhaus?
Nibhaus connects to Neo and Ncode dot-pattern smartpens over Bluetooth, including pens from NeoLAB and LAMY's digital writing line. The Neo M1+ is confirmed working today. The LAMY Safari is supported and is pending final device validation.
Do I need an account?
No. Nibhaus has no accounts and no sign-in.
Where are my notes stored?
On your device, in a local database. Nibhaus does not upload your pages anywhere unless you set up your own export or sync destination.
Can I export to Markdown?
Yes. You can export pages as Markdown, plain text, or images.
Does handwriting recognition ever leave my device?
No, by default. On-device recognition runs entirely on your device and is free. Higher-accuracy recognition is a planned premium feature that uses a conversion server you run yourself. If you set that up, page images go to the server you chose, never to us.
What happens when I change phones?
Your device's system backup does not include the Nibhaus database, so a new phone starts empty. Move your notes yourself with an export or a sync, whenever you are ready.
Can I sync my notes to my own server?
Yes, as a planned premium feature. You choose the destination and the credentials. Nibhaus sends pages there directly. We are never in the middle.
Can Nibhaus translate my notes?
Yes, as a planned premium feature. Once a page is transcribed, you can translate it into another language through the same optional server used for accurate recognition.
Is Nibhaus a subscription?
No. The premium tier is planned as a one-time purchase. Nibhaus is pre-launch, so no price is public yet.
When does Nibhaus launch on Android?
We have not set a date yet. Email us and we will let you know when it ships.
Can I review the code?
Yes. The core is Apache-2.0, and its repository is already public.