Tag: smart pen

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Connected Objects

Pixcil plus smartphone turns any surface into virtual whiteboard

editors-choiceInteractive whiteboards are convenient tools for people to use to draw and write on to communicate ideas with anybody else in the room at the same time as other people around the world. But they can be too expensive than the average person can afford.

Pixcil is an inexpensive digital pen that turns virtually any surface into a virtual whiteboard when used in conjunction with a smartphone. It captures writing and drawing in real time and stores the info in a secured database. From its accompanying app, users can invite people to view or write on the board, as well as make changes such as the color of the virtual pen being used to write.

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Connected Objects Writing

Cronzy is a pen that lets you write with a rainbow

Several years ago, at least some of us thought it was a major achievement when manufacturers introduced pens that could write in more than just blue or black ink. They were a dream come true especially for kids, artists and teachers who no longer needed to carry around separate pens for writing and correcting mistakes on their students’ tests, term papers and homework.

Cronzy is a pen that goes many steps further than most multi-color pens because it can write in pretty much any color that any user would want and can even match scanned colors also. The pen is capable of writing in more than 16 million colors, its makers say. Its main mechanism is based on solenoid valves like those used in various other devices and the pen features a special algorithm for mixing colors.

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Connected Objects

Smart Scribe smart pen is smart enough to write on a whiteboard

The ability of smart pens to automatically sync everything written with one to a mobile device or computer in easy-to-read text can be very handy –- especially if the paper something is written on becomes lost.

Smart Scribe is another entry in the growing product category: an e-pen that can record handwriting and drawings. One thing that separates it from some rival products is that it can work on a whiteboard. Smart Scribe recognizes what users write by their handwriting and automatically converts it into digital information, sending what’s written to a computer or mobile device via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

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Connected Objects Writing

In the smartpen game, Equil seeks its sequel

These days, children in classrooms are probably scratching their heads wondering why anyone even bothers teaching handwriting anymore. It seems as if with all the ways that we can communicate digitally, the pen and paper method of writing is painfully obsolete. Sometimes, that handwritten touch is required.

The Equil Smartpen 2 functions exactly the way consumers expect from smart pens that digitize sketches and handwriting. What makes it different is that unlike Livescribe which requires special paper, Equil can work on any paper surface. Additionally, it uses real ink while recording and transmitting all the differences in both motion and pressure to digitize a completely accurate duplicate. The end result is that the writing process is not altered in the slightest and the digital version has all of the necessary detail and nuance that makes it ideal for sharing. With a different tip, the Equil Smartpen 2 also works as a stylus that can provide precise control on tablets or other pen-enabled devices. Equil needs $50,000 to put this smart pen upgrade out into the hands of users. The Equil Smartpen 2 is shipping out in October, and backers can start writing for $109.

The number of people who can actually put a smart pen to its full use is pretty much limited to graphic designers and other creative types, especially considering the number of pen-enabled tablets that continues to grow. Still, for those who prefer to have tangible notes that they can keep will appreciate having their notes in both in the cloud and in their hands. As an upgrade alone, there may not be enough to lure casual Equil Smartpen users, but for graphic designers and enterprising, note-selling college students, the relatively low price may be worth signing the check.

 

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Input

Mimoto Smart Pen can send scribblings to tablets, work as stylus

mimotosmartpenThe smart pen was a technological step forward that came with multiple steps backward. Touchy sensors and weird behaviors turned something that could have been a game changer into a novelty at best. Like major competitors Livescribe and its close technology cousin Equil, the Mimoto Smart Pen is a refinement on the smart pen that offers it additional functionality. By clipping a screen frame and changing the tip of the pen to something that won’t leave permanent damage, the Mimoto Smart Pen can be used as a stylus on non-touch screen displays, and the demo in the pitch video makes it look like an exceptionally good stylus at that. One key will be creating integration with popular apps as Livescribe has done with Evernote. The prototype version is available in August for backers who pledge $129, and more advanced models are also available.