Tag: smartpen

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Connected Objects Input

Phree lets you scribble on any surface, saves notes to your phone

editors-choiceWhat do Texas and mobile device interfaces have in common? Everything’s bigger there. Touch screens such as those in nearly every smartphone and tablet today set a new bar for ease of use. But their fingertip friendliness came at the price of precision compared to the mouse, which could pinpoint things on the screen.

patent-claimedPhree, however, takes a fresh approach to the idea of a pointing device for smartphones. Unlike other smart pens that work directly on the surface of the smartphone or on paper, Phree allows scribbling on virtually any surface and sends its output to the screen and is compatible with existing pen-aware applications.

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Connected Objects Writing

Rocketbook connected notebook erases scribbles in microwave, literally cooks your books

As popular as tablets have become, many people prefer the experience of writing on paper. After all, the medium is tough to beat when it comes to cost and ease of sharing. But of course it’s difficult to distribute electronically.

The Rocketbook notebook uses paper with an invisible array of markers (dots) to allow the transfer of handwritten text and drawings and transferring them from the notebook to a companion app. On the surface, it’s similar to Livescribe, another system that uses dot paper. However, there are some distances between the two products. While the Livescribe system requires its own pen that can include audio, the Rocketbook can work with any pen. Also, the Livescribe system can relay information to an iPad or the cloud in real time as you write.

In contrast, Rocketbook pages must be scanned by the book’s app at some point  via a camera-like interface during or after their creation. A series of seven icons, including things like an airplane and a fish, can be designated to route scanned documents to different folders and cloud services, but good old letters or numbers would be a welcome alternative.

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Input

Neo Smartpen N2 sends your scribbles to your smartphone

Only a select few smart pens have really stood out as serious contenders in the digital marketplace. The N2 by NeoLAB intends to follow in the footsteps of heavyweights like LiveScribe and Equil by offering the syncing features we’re all used to, but with a few extras to set itself apart. The pen’s versatility comes from its compatibility with industry standard D1 ink, the ability to import anything created into Photoshop or Illustrator for further tweaking, voice recording, and PDF editing and annotation to round it all out.

The Mimoto pen has also tried to break the mold by moonlighting as a stylus for touch screens, but in the end most smart pens are entirely too similar. The N2 does a valiant job differentiating itself with its feature set and the ability for users to print their own proprietary paper rather than be stuck if they’re out. If it’s up your alley, the basic package goes for $99 and comes with one N2 and a notebook.

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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.