IOGEAR's Digital Scribe Transcribes Your Notes

You've probably familiar with smart pens, like LeapFrog's Fly Pen and Livescribe, that can digitize hand written text, record and play audio, and even function as language translators. They're great for college students who may not be allowed to bring a laptop to class or don't feel like lugging a heavy notebook around. The price is reasonable, except they do require special paper to work, which adds an additional expense as long as you use one.

IOGEAR's Digital Scribe pen seems to do away with special papers or inks. These new digital pen use standard ink refills and seems to work with any paper. The catch is you have to attach an electronic receiver to the top of a notepad and connect it to a computer using a USB connector (see picture above).

Apparently, an ultrasonic transmitter at the base of the pen and an infrared sensor capture all your hand movements, while optical character recognition software digitizes your handwritten notes, and covert shapes or diagrams into JPEG images. Not sure students will like the wire that runs from the notepad to the computer, but then again, they don't have to spend extra money on special paper. The pen is available now, and retails for $100 which includes a one-year warranty.

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