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Keyboards, mice, Web cams, speakers and assorted other peripherals, Logitech has been producing eye catching well designed peripherals for the PC, and incidentally Mac as well, for some time. Known for high performance, ease of installation and smart looks, they always seem to have their act together. Their reputation has always been that of a company devoted to hi-tech add ons with style. Embarking into yet another arena, "digital pens," they clearly have their sights set toward the future of computing.
Having had much success producing small unobtrusive Web cams, it seems logical that Logitech would enter into the new realm of pen devices. With the new IO pen from Logitech, they are posing themselves as the producers, or better yet "pioneers," of a device that solves the long time problem of trying to create a paperless, or nearly paperless, office. While digital means of communication are great time savers, when it comes to taking notes and then translating them into the digital divide, the problems are enormous. As a bridge between note taking and digital text editing, the IO pen stands as a peripheral able to accomplish this elusive goal.
The IO pen allows you to take notes, simple pen drawings, sketches and such made with the pen on paper and then transfer them to your PC for editing, emailing or storage. The pen operates on a stored charge and can hold about 40 or so pages of notes. When finished, you simply dock the pen in the port and the device downloads its contents to your PC. For notetakers, students, business people and even the physically challenged, the IO affords alternative ways of entering data into a PC.
Shipping with everything you need to get started, the device comes with a USB connecting base, recharger, AC adapter, software, 5 ink refills and paper. On that front, the IO pen is a complete product that ships with a rather large box. Fortunately, they have left nothing out to get you up and running.
As always with Logitech, set up is simple, fast and to the point. There is no fumbling for this or that during the install. The program does require that you install Microsoft .NET, which is included on the CD-ROM so you do not have to download it, as well as all software for operation.
As far as actually functioning, the unit performs well. When starting up, the device quickly vibrates before going into the on mode. There are no delays or long waits. It does start up fast. As is the case with the product’s performance, software and set up are good. However, there is a caveat to this functionality, well perhaps two.
The first one is that the pen does not work with regular paper. In order for text to be indexed and searched, the IO pen was designed to work only with a specific type of paper. Although the pen works on any paper surface, in order for drawings and notes to be saved and downloaded, you must have special paper to do this. The price of this paper ranges from $7 to $10 per pad for about 60 pages, give or take a page or dollar or two. Do look around online and off line for deals. From my searches, the average is about $7 for a 60 to 70 page notebook.
Unfortunately, you cannot Xerox, copy or reproduce the paper used by the IO pen. Even though there have been reports of people being able to print paper like the one needed by the IO Pen, to date none of these claims have been substantiated. If you want full functionality, you will need to purchase paper designed specifically for this device.
Another important point with the IO is that it ships with a limited 30 day trial version of My Script Notes for the Logitech IO pen. What this software does is that it translates hand written text into text that can be edited in a word processor. Keep in mind that this technology is very much "bleeding edge." What this means is that you expect problems with accuracy, and some limitations on what it can and cannot do. From my experience, few programs out in the market have perfected, or even come close, to making this function easy or in some cases even practical.
Aside from these two points, the paper and the ability of the pen to translate handwriting into editable digital text, the pen is solid. Smart looking, and easy to handle, there is little about the pen or its performance to find issue with as a peripheral. The big points to keep in mind is that this is still an emerging technology and not to expect it to be perfected.
For those like myself that love gadgets, devices and anything that has the "wow" factor, the IO pen certainly has the wow factor intact. For those that want to have the latest and greatest and do not mind dealing with a few short comings, the IO Pen is an able device.
For office workers, those with budgets that can take up the cost, the IO Pen has its applications. Although limited by being dependent on special papers to function, and the fact that handwriting software has some ways to go, I see a real audience for this digital pen.
For the busy notetaker, the office worker that must get things done and in particular students, the IO pen offers the power of notetaking with the power of digitizing it later.
Like any new technology, price points are an issue. With the need for special paper, and after point of sale software, this is not an inexpensive device. However, for those with specific needs, this is a device that could be practical.
Depending on how much you want to spend, your needs, and the purposes to which the device will be used, Logitech has taken a bit of a risk with a device that may have a very limited audience. For those that simply love hardware, this stunning looking pen has a romantic allure all of its own.
If you want to be the first on the block to have one, this is a must have that will have heads turning.
Talk to Kurt in Graphics Unleashed Forums
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