Logitech io Personal Digital Pen Review

For (965102-0100) Digital Pen Products from online stores: eBay: $125.00 | In stock: yes 1 Store Offers from $125-$125

Easy Import, Hazy Recognition

After you install the Logitech software -- including Microsoft's .NET framework, which paranoid users may consider a rather odd requirement for a local input device -- you can connect the USB cradle and charge up the pen. (A blinking LED on its side indicates charge status, and an internal buzzer gives vibrating feedback when you check one of the content-type -- e-mail message, note, or miscellaneous -- or "Done" boxes at the bottom of each Anoto page.)

Normally, as soon as you insert the uncapped pen into the cradle, it downloads its contents -- up to 40 pages, defined as 29 handwritten lines each -- to a "My io Documents" folder on your PC's hard disk, which shows thumbnail pages captioned with page numbers and creation dates. You must check a "new notebook" box at the start of each binder, lest the software attempt to store Page 6 of your second volume on top of Page 6 of your first.

Pages are stored in a proprietary .PEN format; an "export as image" option lets you save a copy for use with other applications as either a JPG bitmap or EMF vector graphics file, with blue ink on a white background in your choice of fax-class 72 dpi, everyday-use 150 dpi, or fine-art 300 dpi resolution.

If you've checked the box identifying a page as a note, the software imports it as an image into a Microsoft Word document (Word 97, 2000, or XP only; we were frustrated that you can't use the pen with other word processors or at least WordPad). Post-It notes work only, and automatically, with 3M's desktop-decorating Post-It Software Notes program, the freeware version of which is included on the Logitech CD.

Other items can be check-box-designated as e-mail messages (for recent versions of Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Hotmail, Lotus Notes, Eudora, or Netscape Mail) or appointment-calendar or to-do items (for Outlook or Lotus Notes). These entries combine scribbled ink with what Logitech calls "intelligent character recognition" fields drawing on Advanced Recognition Technologies' smARTwriter PDA software -- rows of boxes where you write (in capitals) e-mail "Subject:" and "To:" lines or a calendar entry's subject, date, and start and end times.

Though pages at the beginning of the Mead notebook bid you to write the alphabet, numbers, and symbols twice by way of training the software, we found the handwriting recognition to be fair at best -- typically one or two errors per line, which could be worse but is still enough to spoil an e-mail address. If you have a busy calendar and task list, you'll want to note that only about a fifth of each notebook's pages are formatted for appointment and to-do items (the starter volume gives you 11 pages or 33 items' worth, compared to 57 pages for notes or e-mails).

Don't expect the io system to rival Tablet PC's ability to organize notes and search for handwritten phrases, either. The search function is limited to fields such as subject lines, not the body of a handwritten note, although you can edit subjects manually via a properties box in My io Documents.

Overall, we think the Logitech io is a cute gadget, even elegant when working within its somewhat narrow limits, and particularly fun for sending handwritten e-mails. But if you're less concerned with e-mail and signatures than saving and making use of paper notes, our practical vote would be for a general-purpose scanner bundled with document-management software -- it'll take more desk space and more minutes each day scanning manually, but it'll cost half as much, also come in handy with photos, and let you carry a more comfortable, normal-sized pen and cheap, ordinary notepad instead of Logitech's exotic gear.

Skip To Page 1 The Poor Man's Tablet PC? • 2 Easy Import, Hazy Recognition

Tools:

Add hardwarecentral.com to your favorites Add hardwarecentral.com to your browser search box IE 7 | Firefox 2.0 | Firefox 1.5.x

Where to buy (965102-0100) Digital Pen Products
Store	HWC Certified	In stock	Shipping	Price
	Write a store review	yes	14.95	$125.00