For a student sitting at a lecture by an enthusiastic chemistry professor, or a sales clerk attending an important business presentation, writing is an essential skill. Detailed notes will allow you to constantly return to important information in order to later extract useful information from it. The recording process has evolved along with the development of technology to provide the user with the ability to control access, archive, distribute and edit important information. Digital pens allow you to take notes in situations where laptops and tablets are simply powerless.
Where is an electronic pen useful?
A digital pen is almost as inconspicuous as a regular ballpoint pen. It uses real ink, and it is written on real paper. The only difference between a digital pen and a pen in a breast pocket is the recording of pen movements. Each word, sketch, or doodle is converted into a sequence of ones and zeros.
Many people prefer to use laptops and tablets for recordings, because the information on them can be easily edited, saved and shared. However, these devices are very distracting to the user, so many enterprises and educational institutions prohibit them at meetings and lectures. The best digital pens, such as Livescribe 3 Smartpen, Sky WiFi Smartpen and Neo Smartpen N2, allow you to make comprehensive notes without being distracted by the Internet or clicking the keyboard.
Digital pen: selection overview
The electronic pen captures its own movements in several ways. The best models use technology developed by Anoto Group. To track microdots printed on paper, a miniature camera is used located near the tip of the gadget. However, most digital pens use a positioning device that attaches to a piece of paper and tracks the sensor on the tip of the pen as it moves across the paper, allowing you to write on any surface.
After creating a digital page and downloading it to a computer, you will need an intuitive application that allows you to manage archiving, searching, sharing and editing notes. The best electronic pens make it possible to most fully reflect what is written.
Below are some criteria to consider when choosing a digital pen.
Performance
The pen, whether digital or conventional, should be comfortable. Its size and weight can affect how long you can take notes without tired hands. Unfortunately, this means that the gadgets with the most features at the same time are large, because the technology is located inside. Many electronic pens are not much larger than regular ballpoint pens, but they lack functions that allow you to make the most comprehensive recordings.
After comfort comes precision. It makes no sense to complicate the experience of writing with cameras and position sensors if the digital image of the notes does not match the physical image. The error in determining the position of most handles is in the range of 0.3–0.7 mm of spatial difference compared to the actual strokes. However, the accuracy of positioning devices can change when you move the gadget during writing, or when your finger interferes with the sensor.
After filling out the paper page and moving on to the next one, it is also necessary to turn over the electronic one. A smart digital pen should ensure their smooth change, so as not to end up with one confused image consisting of several.
Also, the best models of electronic pens record audio, synchronizing it with notes to create their digital version, which includes audio recording. In addition, you should evaluate the battery life and simple means of synchronization, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. All this is important for the performance of the digital pen, because no one will like it if its pen stops working in the middle of the process of taking notes. Also, wireless synchronization allows you to exchange data with a wide range of devices in real time.
Feature set
The characteristics of these electronic devices can vary significantly. Some of them, in fact, are a computer built into a pen where you can download applications, while others are nothing more than a fancy pen. In newer models, pressure sensitivity, several layers of depth and ease of synchronization with programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator become priority functions.
If the digital pen includes optical character recognition software for converting handwritten text into print, the conversion should be reasonably accurate. Most devices, in addition to their own PC software, are paired with MyScript Notes. This application supports working with several dozen languages.
Each digital pen has some kind of internal hard drive that stores data until it is downloaded to a computer. Its capacity varies from 50 to several thousand electronic pages. The best digital pens also count the remaining memory in the audio recording hours.
Ease of use
The increase in technological saturation of electronic devices, in fact, makes them more difficult to use, so the increase in functionality should outweigh any complications associated with the new technology.
Also, do not choose a pen that will make the user feel the need for re-training in skills learned in the early years of primary school, or requiring long-term preparation for effective work.
Installing and downloading software should be simple. Manufacturers must provide detailed instructions so that you can quickly start using the device. In addition, the gadget should include accessories necessary to provide basic functionality. The best digital pens have many add-ons that can be purchased separately if the user has become a specialist who has figured out all the features of the device.
Help and Support
Manufacturers should provide a level of assistance and support for the digital pen to make it as convenient as possible. Mandatory availability of training materials, online forums, answers to frequently asked questions, technical support and contact information. In addition, the manufacturer should provide the opportunity to purchase ink for refilling cartridges, paper (if required) and other accessories.
A digital pen is an excellent tool for recording and sketching in situations where the use of a laptop or tablet is limited, because they attract less attention during classes and at business meetings. In addition, the compactness of such devices makes them an excellent tool for collecting information in situations that would be difficult or impossible for laptops or tablets.
Livescribe 3 Smartpen
This is a digital pen, the reviews about which are the most positive. It uses amazing technology. A tiny camera inside the device records the movement of the tip of the pen relative to special paper with dots printed on it. Notes are streamed via Bluetooth to a nearby iPad or iPhone, which has the free Livescribd app installed. Handwritten inscriptions are translated into text, sections of which are marked with keywords.
But that is not all. The Livescribe 3 Smartpen digital pen can also record conversations or lectures. And if you need to return to a certain section of the audio, you can, to check that the correct word is recorded, just touch the word in your notes with a stylus located on the opposite end of the pen. The audio will play from the specified point.
To listen to the recording, in addition to a special notebook, you will have to take an iPad or iPhone with you. But from other troubles that were encountered in earlier models, the fourth version of the device was finally able to get rid of. The glossy black pen is well balanced and comfortable to use. Special paper is widely available, has the size of a magazine, a notebook, and even a sticker, and is not much more expensive than usual.
The handle weighs 34 g, has 86 mm in length and 15 mm in diameter. The battery life is 14 hours. The capacity of the recording device is 20,000 pages. The price of the Livescribe 3 Smartpen digital pen is $ 189.
Atary Digital Pen
The Atary Digital Pen allows you to store up to 100 pages of A4 text in memory, runs on a single battery charge for up to 10 hours, does not require the use of special paper, ensuring accuracy of 120 dpi. The pen can be used instead of a stylus, PC mouse and tablet for graphic applications.
The included MyScript Notes program supports 85 languages, including Russian, which recognizes isolated, handwritten printed and fused letters. Allows you to recognize schemes, tables and geometric shapes, export documents to word processors, graphic editors and e-mail.
Digital Pen 3Q DP103
This device is compatible with phones and tablets running on all popular platforms equipped with a Bluetooth module. Weighing 18.6 g, 142 mm in length and 14 mm in diameter, the pen allows you to store up to 100 pages of text and provides up to 90 hours of continuous operation. It works in conjunction with a receiving device that is not more than 1 m away from the electronic pen. It is equipped with a base unit, a USB cable, a writing pen, a software CD and a brief user manual.