# Gemini Notebook

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/gemini-notebook/

5 people recommended Gemini Notebook in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 12 months, in 5 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for summarizing chapters and sources, turning readings into podcast-style audio, and generous free usage; critics say chats pollute shared context.

Summary written by Claude from 14 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 11 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Turns readings into podcast-style audio (2 comments in the sample): "The “podcast” it created was pretty good but the “hosts” kept using the word exactly as a response to the other." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49337397)) "Notebook literally podcasts the readings and what you need to learn" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49862025))
- Impressive even when imperfect (2 comments in the sample): "Imperfect as it is it still blows my mind." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46611126)) "This approach saved me from the default treatment options and has prompted oncologists to consider others that might not have come to mind otherwise." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50098936))

## What people warn about

- Fragmented, unreliable features (2 comments in the sample): "They seem to have a lot of fragmented efforts that don't really add up to good enough." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48945333)) "which did not work well as of a few days ago" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48941669))
- Chats mix into shared context (1 comment in the sample): "when using the notebook feature in Gemini, where every chat becomes part of the context" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49782870))

## What people recommend instead

- [NotebookLM](https://hackerapproved.com/p/notebooklm/): 78 recommend, 21 mixed, 34 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://notebook.google.com/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Gemini Notebook", https://hackerapproved.com/p/gemini-notebook/ (5 recommend, 2 mixed, 4 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.