Logitech Updates io 2 Digital Pen
By Nino Marchetti
March 15, 2006
Computer accessories company announces their digital pen now has a lower price point and a new shortcut feature for use with Microsoft Word.
Logitech last week unveiled a new version of their io 2 Digital Pen. This newest version, which reportedly has improved handwriting recognition, will become available in May for $149.99.
The new Logitech io 2 Digital Pen, said Logitech, besides the improved handwriting recognition, also offers a new written shortcut for more efficiently transforming notes into a Microsoft Word document. The original premise behind this pen line is a technology called ioTags, which allows users to use written shortcuts to send portions of their handwritten notes directly into their e-mail or calendar applications. When the pen is docked, selected notes appear as both handwritten notes and automatically converted text within a split-screen interface. Users can click a single button to have that text inserted into the selected application, or they can first edit the text as they compare it on-screen with the handwritten notes.
Logitech also updated the software which comes with the io 2 Digital Pen, allowing users to personalize and add words to the dictionary used by the handwriting recognition software to convert notes to text.
"Our digital pen technology continues to get better — with each of the improvements designed to help professionals increase their efficiency," said James Stanford, general manager for the digital writing group at Logitech, in a statement. "We often sit in meetings and take several pages of notes, and then we either spend valuable time transcribing those notes, or simply put them aside. With the io2 Digital Pen, each line of notes can be automatically sent to a new e-mail, task, meeting or Word document, maximizing the usefulness of the notes while minimizing the time it takes to convert them."