Last year’s Rocketbook Wave was an undeniable hit. The Indiegogo managed to raise over $1,000,000 for their reusable, cloud-connected notebook and for good reason: prodigious scribblers love the idea of a reusable notebook that offsets that small pang of guilt when a loved tome bites the dust.
Now, the Rocketbook team is back peddling their prized success again — but this time on Kickstarter. The product itself remains exactly that same, though: a series of pages that utilize a matrix of invisible dots that allow users later to take photos of their thoughts and ideas.
For organizational purposes, crossing out one of the icons on each page lets the Rocketbook app know which cloud service — whether it be Google Drive, Evernote or Dropbox — to send the content to. And when a user is done with the notebook, they can chuck it into a microwave and wait until the cover logo changes color, indicating that the Pilot FriXion pen ink is white and the notebook is ready to go again.
Up until now, the Rocketbook team has delivered more than 17,000 units to backers but not without its fair share of issues. Complaints about the cover ink’s susceptibility to scuffs, damaged shipments, and issues with Evernote integration have all been logged, with the company having stated their intent to address them all. Still, it’s looking like Rocketbook has another success on its hands — even if its the exact same one. The $20,000 Kickstarter campaign is looking for success by April 2nd, 2016. Backers can grab their very own Rocketbook Wave and Pilot FriXion pen for $27, with an estimated shipping date in August 2016.
The Rocketbook Wave has a leg-up on LiveScribe in that there isn’t the need to use a proprietary smartpen, significantly bringing down the number of potential user mistakes or errors that can occur. This obviously resonated with backers on Indiegogo and now on Kickstarter. While many companies choose to use these platforms as bonafide stores, the Rocketbook team sees the value of the diverse demographics inherent to both. Their realization is paying off.