Maybe · This · Will · Help

Background
In my position with a previous employer I was exposed to some really fascinating technology centering around user-friendly data collection. The focus of that company was in data collection for industries like healthcare, transportation, etc. It was just a few days ago that I was in a discussion about one of those technologies (the Tablet PC) when I recalled seeing another product that had struck me as having a lot of potential for such data collection with a very natural feel and very little expense (compared to Tablet PCs) - the Logitech io 2 Digital Writing System.

When I first had my hands on the io a few years ago, it was still in the first release phase and lacked some of the features that I found the io 2 to have today. After a quick search online, I found the product's web site (http://www.Logitechio.com) and noted some of the interesting new features that made this even more suitable for more widespread business and consumer use in the emerging "digital age."

The Logitech io 2 pen still consists of the same components of its predecessor: a fairly bulky pen reminiscent of the "PhD" line of pens/pencils that were popular several years ago, a tiny camera at a fixed position just beside the pen head, an internal solid state drive (for storing ink strokes). The software then and now allows the pen to be docked via a USB cradle and Logitech software to download the ink strokes stored on the pen and convert them to a digital image.

What really impressed me with this new version is how versatile the end result is. A lot of this relies on the introduction of new ioTags - essentially shorthand symbols that can be written anywhere on the page with some additional handwritten information beside them to activate features within the Logitech software when the content is downloaded from the pen. Additionally, the software supports and integrates with the popular Microsoft Office Suite as well as many other applications (including Hotmail). I will get into more of that in a minute, though.

Whats Included
The boxed Digital Writing System (that I picked up from CompUSA and was readily available) includes the pen, USB cradle, a USB extension cord (which is very helpful if your PC is under your work desk), a digital notebook, CD with required software and driver, 3 replacement ink sticks, and the standard installation documentation.

Installation
Installation on my laptop at home was a breeze (though Logitech makes you sit through a flash-style "gee whiz" introduction before you can get down to business) and it didn't take very long to charge the pen (done via the USB cradle) to 100%. When I took the package to work (where it was meant to be used), I struggled for an additional 30 minutes trying to troubleshoot the USB connectivity. The pen would recognize and install, but the Logitech software (a service) that watches for the pen to connect would not recognize that the pen was connected even though Windows reported it just fine. It took me conducting a few experiments to discover that the USB cradle worked when plugged directly into the USB port in the back of the work PC, but not via the Belkin USB hub (powered) that sat on top of of my desk. Once I got that resolved, however, everything else worked great.

How It Works
The digital paper (which comes in many varieties and can be ordered from the Logitech web site as well as other places) has writable areas that are made up of extremely tiny dot patterns (click here for blown up example). Encoded into the dot patterns are typically the page you are on as well as the precise coordinate of that dot on the page. As you write, the pen detects pressure on the page via the actual pen point and decides when to "watch" the dot patterns and when not to.

First Impressions
Since I had never used the new ioTag features before, I was quick to use the simplest features of the system - just inking some text on the digital pad and delighting in the image (and digitized text) of what I had just written. Just that piece alone really makes the system worthwhile. I write a lot of notes during meetings and am always a little ticked when a dispute arises and I have to try to go through my moleskine to try to find the specifics in question. With the digitized pages and handwritten notes, I can easily search through the documents and find the sections in question based on some keywords (interpreted from my own handwriting). While cursive recognition is still something of a sci-fi dream still, some testing with various people's print found the recognition to be pretty darn good right out of the box. There are some exercises you can do within the software to help "train" it to recognize your specific handwriting style more accurately.

Once I really took the time to dig into the accompanying documentation, I was amazed at the concept of ioTags. Essentially, the ioTags are a customizable set of symbols that you can draw anywhere on your digital paper and, when later interpreted by the software during download, kick off various tasks ranging from email, calendar entries, task entries, image capture, and more. To accomplish this, you draw a capital letter that is associated with what you want it to do and circle it. For this example, I will use "E" for sending an email. Let's say that you are in a meeting and someone says they want a copy of your notes or asks you to send them some piece of information. In this scenario, you can draw a capital "E" to the left of your writing area (but still on the digital paper) and circle it. To the right of your newly-created symbol, you can write the subject, follow it with a semicolon, and then write the email address (or addresses) you want the email to go to. Below that, you can write your email content (or you can create your symbol, subject, and address block where content on the page already exists). Once you are done, you draw a vertical line connecting to the bottom of the "E" ioTag and going down to the end of your email. The line serves as a sort of inclusive symbol for the software so you can write multiple emails, task, calendars, etc on the same page without them getting interconnected. Finally, you dock the pen in the cradle and cackle with glee as the software interprets your notes, generates the email(s) and such that you requested, and just asks you to confirm them before sending.

I have to say, this is amazing and has everyone I work thinking about the applications of such a system for their own areas as well as ways to extend the functionality beyond the out-of-the-box capabilities. In the near-term, I plan on taking a look into the software development kit(s) that are available from Logitech and Anoto (the company behind the "microdot" technology and digital paper) to see how easy (or difficult) it will be to integrate the pen into our normal workflow or augment our business processes by finding ways the pen can remove unnecessary steps. If you are interested, read more about this here.