As interfaces go, handwriting and computers have never really got on together. Either the interface to actually write with is totally alien to how you actually write or when you can get some writing to the computer,they are notorious at trying to work out what you’re actually writen.
So, the solution – stick the computer inside a pen and turn paper into the screen. Oh, and why you’re at it, why not record what’s going on around you and associate that with what you’re writing – now no need to miss what is being said in meetings and lectures.
Sounds clever, no? That’s just what I thought but here’s the demo of this clever system: (There’s an advert on before it unfortunately)
There’s more information available at their website here:
http://www.livescribe.com/
It uses an infrared camera (records 70 fps) to record your writing and can store upto 2 GB of data. The website claims it can hold more than 100 hours of audio, which should be plenty even for a week of meetings. It doesn’t explain how the notepad buttons work though, which I find really interesting…
I haven’t yet used one of these in real life but I think in many meetings I’ve been in, not to mention some unfortunately dull lectures, they’d be very useful. They are also relatively cheap, (you can buy more expensive conventional pens than this) and with falling prices of solid state memory and infrared camers (have you notived these are popping up on everything lately) they’ll soon be recording in everyones hand.
Let me know if you get to play with one of these.