Logitech io2 Digital Writing System

Logitech io2 Digital Writing System

With its digital io2 pen and associated specially designed “digital paper,” Logitech again demonstrated its excellence for delivering effective and unique peripherals to the computer user. Using the Logitech Writing System, you make handwritten notes on a pad containing digital paper. The corresponding handwritten images are stored within the digital pen. These images are transferred to your desktop or notebook computer when the digital pen is docked in its cradle.

You activate the io2 pen by removing its cap. Next, select a digital notebook pad containing sheets of paper suitably sized and formatted. Typical pad selections include MeadWestvaco (Mead, Cambridge), Post-it Notes, FranklinCovey and Logitech’s own line of paper. You then take digitized notes by: 1) turning to a blank sheet in the pad; 2) checking the appropriate “Activity” box (“E-mail,” “Note,” “Other”); 3) entering keywords into the “Subject/Keywords” box; 4) entering an e-mail address or file name into the “To” box; 5) handwriting the substantive message and drawing relevant shapes or figures; and 6) signaling to the internal processor the message is complete by checking the “Done” box. The message is captured in the io2 pen. Afterward, the input sheet of paper can be discarded.

You can search particular io2 pen documents using “Subject/Keyword” and “To” boxes that have been transferred to your computer. You can set the transfer of stored io2 pen documents to your PC as soon as the digital pen is placed in its cradle. You also can manually trigger this transfer. Once the transfer is completed, you can save the document, which also can be inserted directly into applications such as Microsoft Word and Outlook, Qualcomm’s Eudora Pro and IBM’s Lotus Notes. Besides being a novelty, io2 pen documents enable you to augment conventional text with drawings and sketches for clarification or other similar communication purposes.

How does the Logitech io2 pen work? The pen contains a conventional ball point for writing in ink, as well as an optical sensor that captures handwritten characters and continuously records these images on its internal memory chip. Up to 40 pages of images can be stored. An internal processor then digitizes these images for subsequent transfer to your PC. When docked in its cradle, the pen’s internal battery is subjected to quick recharging.

With the io2 pen you can convert your handwritten images into editable word processing text. This is accomplished by invoking MyScript software, a proprietary conversion tool developed by Vision Objects.

As with any recognition function, training is a crucial ingredient for maximizing conversion efficiency. It’s important to spend a sufficient amount of time training to make sure your handwriting is converted to a word processing format in a reliable manner.

With MyScript Trainer you can familiarize MyScript Notes with your specific writing style, improving handwriting recognition. By activating this feature, a personal recognition profile is created where MyScript Notes has access to representative patterns of your handwriting style.

When conversion from handwriting to editable text is triggered, MyScript provides a split screen with “Conversion” and “Correction” windows so you can make appropriate corrections for handwritten characters or shape recognition.

The Logitech io2 digital pen has a distinctive, elegant appearance. You can order a desktop cradle separately, but it’s delivered with a compact cradle that is convenient for traveling light.

Enterprise users can buy the pen in five- and 10-pack quantities. It’s USB-powered, so the internal battery can be expeditiously recharged in the absence of an external power source. The pen provides a unique, efficient and elegant digital solution to “paperlessly” storing text and drawings. It also provides profound portability.

Logitech io2 Digital Writing System
Logitech
www.logitech.com
(800) 231-7717
Price: $199.95

Windows 2000/XP. Pentium III; 128MB RAM; 300MB disk space.

Reviewed by Al Harrison, a Houston-based intellectual property lawyer specializing in computer technology, patent law and related mediation.

Dec/Jan '05 Issue

PROS
Introduces a new genre for the paperless office. Handwritten script and drawing sketches can be used to personalize and clarify your messages.

CONS
Price is akin to a fashionable top drawer pen.

VERDICT
Highly recommended as a tool for obtaining digital images from handwritten input.