Comments on: Pen-Based Computing Loses The Tablet http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/ A bunch of stuff I would have emailed you about. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:05:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: hardik patel http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/#comment-190971 hardik patel Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:27:16 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10924#comment-190971 give me information about pen computers give me information about pen computers

]]> By: Don http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/#comment-188024 Don Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:30:24 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10924#comment-188024 Not only is there a "grown up" version. there are many viable business applications available through various development partners. A quick search on youtube will reveal a nifty presentation by anoto. Interestingly, one of the development partners offers the optical recognition pattern you can print on forms your company already uses...this is way more than a simple toy. Any company that needs to document activities could save time and money by implementing some form of this technology, and they wouldn't have to spend years training people how to use it. Not only is there a “grown up” version. there are many viable business applications available through various development partners. A quick search on youtube will reveal a nifty presentation by anoto. Interestingly, one of the development partners offers the optical recognition pattern you can print on forms your company already uses…this is way more than a simple toy. Any company that needs to document activities could save time and money by implementing some form of this technology, and they wouldn’t have to spend years training people how to use it.

]]> By: M. Dizzy http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/#comment-127857 M. Dizzy Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:21:31 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10924#comment-127857 So I did some googling to see if there was a grown-up version that syncs with a computer...lo and behold http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/features/digitalwriting/US/EN,crid=1545 The logitech io pen. The technology is made by a company called anoto (http://www.anoto.com). You can get special anoto paper notebooks. I could really see this being useful for college students. Take the notebook to class write your notes and sync them up to OneNote on your laptop. I hope someone makes one of these pens and offers an sdk to work with their tool. Of course to be really useful you'd need to be able to make paper that is customized for your application. Although the anoto website does mention case studies of like remote sales forces using specially designed forms. So I did some googling to see if there was a grown-up version that syncs with a computer…lo and behold http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/features/digitalwriting/US/EN,crid=1545

The logitech io pen. The technology is made by a company called anoto (http://www.anoto.com). You can get special anoto paper notebooks. I could really see this being useful for college students. Take the notebook to class write your notes and sync them up to OneNote on your laptop. I hope someone makes one of these pens and offers an sdk to work with their tool. Of course to be really useful you’d need to be able to make paper that is customized for your application. Although the anoto website does mention case studies of like remote sales forces using specially designed forms.

]]> By: That Guy http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/#comment-79563 That Guy Tue, 19 Sep 2006 00:18:38 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10924#comment-79563 Is there something stopping anyone with a high res laser printer from scanning the pattern on the "fly-paper" (groan) ? On their website, they state that its a very fine grained dot-matrix. [tags]tag you\'re it[/tags] Is there something stopping anyone with a high res laser printer from scanning the pattern on the “fly-paper” (groan) ?

On their website, they state that its a very fine grained dot-matrix.

[tags]tag you\'re it[/tags]

]]> By: karli http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/#comment-31841 karli Wed, 15 Feb 2006 23:54:32 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10924#comment-31841 this pen is awesome. it needs to be cheaper thow this pen is awesome. it needs to be cheaper thow

]]> By: Roderick http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10924/pen-based-computing-loses-the-tablet/#comment-13480 Roderick Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:31:58 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10924#comment-13480 I too was rather taken with this device after first reading about it in the current issue of Wired (13.11) and had many of the same questions you had. The low cost, ease of use and disposability of paper was hyped a great deal and left me very excited - until I reached the portion buried deep in the article that declared that the device worked only with FLY paper. I suppose deep down I was hoping for a magical innovation that would make the use of plain paper as a tablet possible. But then, the specialized paper isn't a major compromise towards that end. The most encouraging thing about this device though is its very limitation. The output comes only from a built-in speaker and there is no "visual" aspect to it. I suppose that it wouldn't be unexpected to see down the road - if these devices grow beyond their "learning toy" roots - a wireless visual feed to an eyeglass-mounted personal display. But for now at least, the output is strictly aural and that means one remarkable thing - users are forced to use their imaginations. This is not the place (at least in the comments section, anyway!) to debate the impact of technology and modern media on our ability to vividly visualize, imagine and construct mental imagery, but it is undeniable that when such a powerful device as the Fly pen is restricted to audio output, it can only serve to encourage a diminishing trait of today's children (and adults, for that matter). Now, shall we discuss the irony of using technology to get back to basics? -Roderick I too was rather taken with this device after first reading about it in the current issue of Wired (13.11) and had many of the same questions you had.

The low cost, ease of use and disposability of paper was hyped a great deal and left me very excited - until I reached the portion buried deep in the article that declared that the device worked only with FLY paper. I suppose deep down I was hoping for a magical innovation that would make the use of plain paper as a tablet possible. But then, the specialized paper isn’t a major compromise towards that end.

The most encouraging thing about this device though is its very limitation. The output comes only from a built-in speaker and there is no “visual” aspect to it. I suppose that it wouldn’t be unexpected to see down the road - if these devices grow beyond their “learning toy” roots - a wireless visual feed to an eyeglass-mounted personal display. But for now at least, the output is strictly aural and that means one remarkable thing - users are forced to use their imaginations.

This is not the place (at least in the comments section, anyway!) to debate the impact of technology and modern media on our ability to vividly visualize, imagine and construct mental imagery, but it is undeniable that when such a powerful device as the Fly pen is restricted to audio output, it can only serve to encourage a diminishing trait of today’s children (and adults, for that matter).

Now, shall we discuss the irony of using technology to get back to basics?

-Roderick

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