Digital pens to compete with Tablet PCs

Clearly, Tablet PCs have gained momentum. Some vendors offer better designs than others, but chief among the main features offered by these mobile devices is the ability to scribble or draw a quick and dirty diagram with a pen.

A lot of people will find this capability very useful, undoubtedly. Artists who draw sketches and engineers who create maps will like it. Those who still cannot type efficiently will also like it, and so will people who write in stroke-based characters such as Kanji.

The problem with Tablet PCs is that they still cost more than a decently configured notebook. That should not really be a surprise, though, as a Tablet PC must be equipped with a special LCD panel and electromagnetic sensors (the panel is not touch- sensitive).

Jumping on the handwriting bandwagon is Logitech, a company known for its aftermarket peripheral products. Logitech has showcased its digital pen, which it calls "io". Unlike the stylus of a PDA or a Tablet PC, you do not use the pen on the notebook's screen. You have to use a specially made notepad.

Are you now thinking of IBM's TransNote or CrossPad? You are not alone. TransNote, which was discontinued early last year, allows users to scribble on a regular writing pad placed inside a pad holder adjacent to the notebook. All the movements of our stylus were recorded by the notebook computer, which would then create an image file of our drawing or handwriting.

The io Digital Pen from Logitech will also record all our movements and store the data inside its flash memory. It can store up to 40 handwritten pages. The difference between the stylus in the TransNote and Logitech pen is that the stylus emits a electromagnetic field that is captured by the sensors along the sides of the notepad, while the Logitech pen uses a tiny camera that tracks the dots on the special paper.

To transfer the data to the PC or notebook, you have to stick the pen into its cradle, which is connected via a USB cable to the host computer. The pages, however, will be saved as images. Logitech reportedly does not include a handwriting recognition utility in the package. Again, there is a stark similarity with the IBM TransNote and CrossPad here.

Also, the Logitech io Digital Pen will not be cheap. It will cost about US$200 and the special writing pads will cost $10 apiece. That, unfortunately, will close the gap between a Tablet PC and a notebook plus a digital pen.

However, more digital pens may be appearing in the coming years. Nokia reportedly has a similar product in store that will allow you to send handwritten notes using MMS. Like io, it can also be used with a PC or notebook. Ericsson earlier came up with a Bluetooth digital pen. Other companies busy in this area include Anoto from Sweden and OTM from Israel.

What about the handwriting recognition capability, which is the advantage of the Tablet PC so far? Efforts have been underway to create utilities that can read handwriting and convert it to computer-editable text. The problem is that the combination of a digital pen and third-party handwriting recognition software may still be so expensive that it makes more sense just to buy a Tablet PC.

Besides, on a Tablet PC you can use the pen to highlight a PowerPoint presentation and underscore the important words in your e-mail.

-- Zatni Arbi